Fragments of Change
by LightMidnight
Summary: Humanity is about to lose a fight that they have been waging for much too long. When there is hardly any hope left, can the Immortal Caryn and her team lend the Regiments their aid in hopes of defeating the seemly unstoppable Titans? Or will the impact they leave prove to be more harmful than good? LevixOC with some other pairings. M for swearing, gore, and lemons.
1. Mission

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is a rewrite of my story "The Balance of Life." There are so many reasons as to why I began to rewrite this…mainly because I found that the previous plot and characters I used seemed a bit amateur and rushed. I've had so much time to think about this and now I have come to the conclusion to rewrite it, as I will for my other stories in the future. There are quite a few things that will be different, but my protagonist and antagonists will be the same. I'm sorry to everyone who reviewed and liked my other story, but I hope you will continue on to read this revised version. Thank you, and enjoy3**

 **(x0x)**

"You are not going."

"Mother, please. If no one else is able to help, then-"

"Caryn, no. I have told you several times already, you have a duty to uphold here and I will not let you neglect it. You are just going to have to accept that."

The blonde's eyes narrowed in irritation. Would anything change her mother's mind? She thought back to the beginning of their conversation, the conversation that had started their argument.

*Earlier that day*

 _Elysium has always been a place of tranquility, and the balance of life was always kept stable. Elysians had always cared for the species they created millenniums ago; humans. Despite their many ups and downs, they always seemed to bring themselves back up again. But not this time._

 _The Earth was plagued with an almost impossible-to-stop force that they couldn't control, and that particular force was called a Titan._

 _These so-called 'Titans' had seemingly showed up out of nowhere, disrupting Earth's peace and devouring humans for the pleasure of it. It was easy to tell, considering they contained no reproductive organs._

 _The Queen of Elysium, Deitris, hung her head in sorrow, watching from her throne at the portal below her as the humans were eaten one by one by their foes. It was a disturbing sight, watching the innocent beings coming to a frightening end._

 _Elysians had an important duty of watching over the humans as they progressed over time; whether it be when they created new inventions, or when they fought their wars. And it was unfortunately the latter._

 _Being the supreme ruler of gods and goddesses, it was the councils job as well as Deitris's to make sure that the Earth, as well as the humans, were kept safe from harm. Despite this being the first major war they had experienced, the queen could not let the situation go astray._

 _It was finally time for the Elysians to lend their aid._

 _Shaking off the stress and nervousness she felt from her decision, Deitris called for her most trusted guard. This would be the first time that she would send someone down to Earth; she had to have the council's opinion as well as her own._

 _The guard came immediately at the sound of the queen's call. "How may I be of assistance, your grace?"_

 _"Please alert the council of what has occurred and schedule a gathering to commence in about an hour. Let them know that this is very serious." She ordered him politely. The guard bowed his head in respect, coming out of his kneeling position and exiting the throne room._

 _Deitris sighed heavily, resuming watching the portal's images. She hoped that the council would agree to send someone to help the humans._

 _If not, they would surely perish._

 _An hour later, just as she requested, the council of Elysium assembled in the throne room. There were seven members in total, including the queen, and three each sat on either side of her. In front of them sat a large audience of citizens, anxious to know why their beloved queen was in a state of panic._

 _Deitris stood from her seat, her blonde waves bouncing rhythmically against her back as she stood in front of the podium, facing her people. "My friends, I thank you for arriving so quickly due to this imperative situation." She greeted, giving them a warm smile. An abundant amount of citizens returned the gesture, worry evident in their eyes._

 _"It is with a heavy heart that I notify you of the catastrophe the Earth has been plagued with," she started, silver eyes gliding over the room as she spoke. "Very recently, a dangerous force that the humans have given the name 'Titans' struck Earth's lands. The giant foes feast on the innocent for pleasure; terrorizing them to no end."_

 _Waving a hand in the air, Deitris brought up the images that she had seen herself. The crowd, as well as the council, gasped in horror and sympathy for the humans. The queen's heart nearly shattered at the familiar sight of men, women, and children that were captured and snapped helplessly between the giant's jaws._

 _"I am showing this to you all in hopes that you do not take this matter lightly. This is the very same thing that is happening to the humans at this very moment. And if we stand idly by and watch these events unfold, the downfall of all life as we know it on Earth is certain."_

 _Deitris waved the images away, and the room's atmosphere immediately lightened. She gave her people and the council a pleading look, not trying to hide how scared she was. "As your queen, I ask that you allow me to do the unattempted; to send one of our brethren to assist the humans in their battles."_

 _Murmurs broke out throughout the crowd, some nervous and others confused. The citizens had hardly ever doubted their queen, but it was bound to happen eventually. This just seemed to be one of those times._

 _"Please settle, my friends." Deitris reassured, placing her hands up in a calming gesture. "I know that something such as this has never been done before, but if the humans are to survive this war, we do not have much of a choice. I will not be one to deny them help. Even so, I will not ignore your opinion over mine. That is why I have you gathered here today; in hopes that you will lend me your thoughts on my decision."_

 _"Sister, if I may be so boldest to speak."_

 _The voice on the right side of the council reached her ears, and it was none other then her twin sister, Veytris. Looking into the alike orbs of her sibling, Deitris nodded her head in approval. "Of course you may."_

 _"Are you completely certain that this is what you want?" She asked, the hesitance in her voice apparent to the queen. She did not want to disagree with her sister. "After all, you did say so yourself; this is something that has not been attempted before. How are we to know that the humans will not show hostility towards us as well, due to the fact we are just as much considered alien as these Titans are?"_

 _Deitris's lips thinned. Her sister made a very valid point. It was no secret that an Elysian God stood out far greater than an average human. While humans relied on man-made inventions, Elysians relied on their natural strength and powers passed down to them from their ancestors. Winning a war was an easy task for a god._

 _But what choice did they have? Their intentions were purely justified, they would mean no harm towards the human race whatsoever. Why destroy a race that you created out of love and joy? That's why Deitris could not give up her decision._

 _"I understand what you are saying, Veytris." The queen agreed solemnly, a frown marring her features. "It is true that the humans could mistake our intentions, yes, but that is something that we will have to look past. Our kind is a stubborn bunch; surely they will find a way to make them understand."_

 _Some amused words and chuckles rang out through the room, the most being from the council. Veytris smiled, seemingly impressed with her sister's answer._

 _"But, if I am to send someone to aid them, all identities must be kept strictly confidential to the person they tell, or in this case, the group." Deitris said sternly, and the council nodded agreeably._

 _"We will need to take a moment to discuss this matter between ourselves, my queen." Sylphas, an elder on the council, told her. Deitris responded with a nod, allowing them to do so. The six other council members stood from their seats, moving off to the side to chat quietly in a group. Deitris felt Veytris's hand skim her own as she passed, a concerned look crossing her older sibling's features. The queen just waved her off, assuring her that she was fine._

 _A few minutes went by as the council continued to chat amongst themselves, a few approving noises heard here and there. After a moment, it was clear that they had come up with a decision._

 _The group of six stood in front of the queen, blocking the view of the front rows of citizens, but they didn't seem to mind. The whole room was eager to hear of the councils answer._

 _Sylphas stepped forward as a representative of the group, his wrinkled face impassive as he gazed calmly at his queen. "We have come to a decision," he announced, his voice carrying to everyone in the room. Deitris forced herself not to tense under the scrutiny of his gaze. Despite how confident she was, an elder made her a bit restless when surveying her._

 _"We have agreed to your decision. We think it would be in our best interest to send an Elysian warrior to aid the humans."_

 _Deitris couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped her lips the moment his words left his mouth. They agreed. Albeit a bit reluctantly, but they still agreed._

 _"I thank you for your cooperation," the Blonde queen smiled gratefully. "We will discuss who the chosen candidates will be in private. As for everyone else, this gathering is adjourned. In due time, I will reveal the rest of the details. You are all dismissed."_

 _At the queen's commands, the gods and goddesses began to file out of the room in an orderly fashion. Conversation was amongst most of them, some good and some bad. Deitris just hoped that they agreed with her choice like the council did._

 _"Come, let us discuss the rest over lunch." She beckoned the council, heading towards the dining area. A guard opened the door for her, and Deitris gave him a sweet smile as the others followed suit behind her._

 _Lunch was heavenly, and like everyday, the chefs outdid themselves. Deitris and the rest of the council sat at an ornate table, the white surface outlined with gold hues. Deitris picked up her chalice, taking a sip of the sweet ambrosia liquid inside. Her sister cut a piece of sautéed meat, plucking it with her fork and putting it in her mouth._

 _"Deitris," The twin called, alerting her sister's attention towards her. "Now that you are sure of what you desire, who is to be the one to venture to Earth?"_

 _"As of right now, there are only a few stable choices that would be suitable for the task at hand." Deitris replied, placing her hands under her chin in thought as she leaned against the table. "My sons, Kalil and Eadric, were the first ones I had originally planned to assign the mission to. But alas, I cannot because they are not present at the moment and will not be for at least a couple of more months."_

 _Her sons were the best choice of all. Due to their aspiring potential and years of experience on the battlefield, Kalil and Eadric would be perfect candidates for the job. Deitris knew that they could easily slay the Titans if they were chosen, but unfortunately that wouldn't be happening, at least any time soon._

 _"We do not have enough time to wait a couple of months," Veytris reminded her solemnly. "If we are to take action, we have to do so soon otherwise we will be too late."_

 _"Are there any others that you had in mind?" Sylphas asked, eyeing her with a look that made her almost nervous. It was as if the elder was peering into her soul, a feeling that she greatly disliked. Somehow, this man screamed danger. But how had she never felt this before?_

 _Straightening in her seat, Deitris pushed the bangles on her wrist around in an attempt to break eye contact, something she never did. "I am not sure. As of right now, no one but my sons have the prowess mindset needed for a mission as dangerous as this one. It is without a doubt that they are the strongest warriors of all Elysium."_

 _This was beginning to become a disaster. Deitris already knew what she had wanted to do, but without the right tools, she could not carry on with her plan. The queen bit her lip in silent frustration._

 _Perhaps she would have to go with a different plan after all._

 _"Are you so sure about that? I think you are missing someone who is an extremely valuable asset to this case."_

 _Deitris rose an eyebrow in confusion at her sister. "And just who might that—" the queen paused abruptly, her features contorting protectively."No."_

 _Veytris grinned knowingly, not at all shocked at her sister's sudden hostility. "No?" She echoed. "Do not take me as a fool, sister. She is the next best choice."_

 _"Do you even understand just what you are asking me?" Deitris growled, glaring daggers at her twin. The air became thick with tension, the rest of the council shifting uncomfortably in their seats. "You dare suggest that I send my daughter, of all gods, to fight a war that not even I am sure she can win?!"_

 _The room began to shake, as if channeling the queen's anger throughout the palace. Deitris's form began to glow an ivory white color, brightening up the area. She gripped the end of the table tightly, close to breaking off a piece of it in her hands. This was the Queen of Elysium's true power, and the council was witnessing it first hand._

 _"You had no trouble adding your sons to the mix," Veytris scoffed, unable to see why it was such a difference. "Why wouldn't it be the same to volunteer Caryn as well?"_

 _"Please settle down, my lady." Sylphas tried to calm her, but it was more of a command than a suggestion. "Veytris, enough foolishness. We will not be able to carry on the meeting if the both of you are constantly trying to rip each other's throats out."_

 _At the sound of his stern voice, the room became quiet and still once more, the peace returning to the atmosphere. Deitris closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as well as his words to heart. He was right, she needed to refrain from losing her temper and think rationally._

 _"I apologize." The queen murmured, letting a shaky breath pass her lips. "I was a little thrown off at my sister's suggestion." Deitris looked to her twin once more, the hostility replaced with guilt and fatigue that she had easily caught. "Even so, my decision will stay the same. Caryn is young, and although she is strong, she is still inexperienced."_

 _Quiet whispers could be heard from the rest of the council, and Veytris had a defeated look on her face. She knew that nothing she said could change her twin's mind._

 _"That will be all for today. We will continue speaking about this tomorrow." Deitris dismissed them, setting her hands in her lap. The council stood, filing out the exit. Sylphas gave her a chilling glare as he left, surprising the queen. She had not expected a hostile glance from him, not now or ever._

 _She would be having a private conversation with him later._

 _Later that night, Deitris retired to her chambers to prepare for bed. Even though she usually slept soundly, she feared that tonight she wouldn't. There was too much going on to forget._

 _As she was letting her blonde hair out of it's braid, a knock sounded at her door. "Mother, it's me."_

 _"Come in, Caryn."_

 _The queen's daughter entered quietly, shutting the door behind her and approaching her mother. She placed a stool she had grabbed from the side next to her, lowering herself down and watching as she did her evening rituals._

 _"Is something the matter?" Deitris asked, looking at her daughter from the corner of her eyes. She looked exactly like her father; long, platinum blonde hair that fell to her back in waves and striking amethyst eyes, shifting slightly in the light to an emerald green color. She even had twin dimples on her cheeks, another feature from her father._

 _"Not at all." Caryn replied, giving her a reassuring smile. Deitris raised an eyebrow. She was definitely up to something._

 _"Are you sure? You usually do not visit me this late," the queen pushed, eager to hear the reason why she had come to her chambers._

 _Caryn bit her lip. A nervous notion for sure. The blonde straightened her posture at her mother's stare. "Nothing is bothering me, but I do want to ask a question."_

 _"Hmm? And what is that?"_

 _"Why did you deny me the chance to carry out the mission?"_

 _Deitris froze, halting her work on her hair mid-braid. She knew that Caryn would hear of the transgressions with the humans sooner or later, but it seemed that word spread around faster than she thought._

 _"I did not feel the need to send you on a task that you are not yet ready for." She replied, choosing her words carefully. Even though she had said that gently, it still offended the princess._

 _"You know as well as I that no one is better suited for this task then I." Caryn argued, spinning her mother's chair so that she faced her. "Especially when your strongest are gone."_

 _Deitris knew that she was talking about her brothers, the princes. It wasn't rare that they were away, but at the moment it proved to be a problem._

 _And that led them back to this._

 **(x0x)**

Her mother was the most stubborn, protective women of all Elysium. She was sure of it.

"I understand that I have duties. But who will you turn to if not me? Surely you won't choose one of the lower ranking soldiers." Caryn said tightly, almost offended that her mother wouldn't turn to her first. The thought alone was outrageous.

Deitris sighed in frustration, standing up from her seat and pushing the chair to her vanity back. "Caryn—"

"Please."

"Your pleading is not enough to—"

"Please."

Another sigh escaped the queen's mouth, and Caryn knew then that she had her.

"Gods, Caryn. You are like an itch I cannot scratch." Deitris placed her face in her hands, contemplating her next words. "If I allow you to go, you must bring someone else with you. Even this job is too big to handle for one goddess alone."

Caryn's eyes brightened, and she jumped from her seat to hug her mother. "I promise I won't let you down. I'll bring my team and we'll set off as soon as our next training session is over!" Deitris gave her a quick pat before the goddess sprang upwards, and in a flash she was out the door.

That girl really needs to slow down, someday she's going to run into something and end up hurting herself, the queen sighed mentally.

Deitris knew that the girls would be enough to aid the humans, but the only problem was that they had no information on them and that could most definitely be their downfall. She prayed to her ancestors that she had made the right decision.

 _May the high gods of Elysium be with you, my child. For you will need all the help and encouragement you can get._

 **(x0x)**

 **So there's the first chapter! I hope you all enjoyed. Really, I can't promise that I will have a strict schedule for updating, but I will try to every Friday or Saturday. If not, it will be the following weekend. I thank you for taking your time to read, and as always, review follow and favorite! Xoxo**

 **~M**


	2. Miscalculations

**A/N: It feels good to have two chapters within range with each other…though, it's still a bit late to update.**

 **I have so much plans for this story…this might actually be the first one I finish, hopefully you guys like it enough to review and keep me going!**

 **Onward~**

 **(x0x)**

"Try again."

One punch.

"Again."

Two punches.

"Your arms are slack. Try putting a little more force into it, Iris."

The third-in-command groaned, readjusting her stance in front of her superior. Caryn laughed softly at her younger teammate's audible complaints, lifting up an arm again and casting a defensive Borg in front of herself. The small, iridescent shield covered the upper half of her body as she waited for impact.

"Come now, enough with the long face." The Elysian Princess scolded, wagging a finger. "Even Cylla has figured a way to break through, and she is a skill below you."

Iris huffed, her green eyes alight with annoyance as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't see how that is the least bit encouraging, leader."

Said leader mentally shook her head. Two out of three of her subordinates still felt the need to give her a title, even though the formalities weren't needed. They were all close, after all. "That wasn't meant to be encouraging," she pressed, fixing her own stance in the process. "I'm trying to prepare you all for what's to come, we don't necessarily have time on our hands at the moment. You realize that the longer we stall, the less time we have to lend the humans our aid?"

Releasing an awaiting fist, Caryn's hand connected with Iris's forearm as she blocked the punch with force behind it. The younger one of the two grit her teeth, pushing back the hand before sending a ricochet of punches to the Borg once again.

"I think it's outrageous that you volunteered for something this dangerous." A voice called from the right of her, irritation evident in it. From across the barren field they trained at sat her second-in-command, her silver-white hair reflecting the afternoon sun's rays. Her amber eyes let off a devilish glow, radiating almost as much power as the leader herself.

Caryn sighed, and the shield in front of her disappeared much to Iris's dissatisfaction. "Leader—"

"We're done with defense breaking for today. Go take a break and retrieve Cylla."

"But I—" Caryn sent her a smoldering glare, her eyes ablaze. Iris knew that look, and she wasn't about to disrupt her superior again. "Sure, I'll be right back." She bowed, her short black hair falling around her face before she scurried away towards the palace for their newest teammate.

The amethyst-eyed female took a seat in front of the her comrade, slight guilt marring her features. "I know you're against the idea of going to Earth to help the humans, Sione." She started, taking in the almost always blank stare of her friend. No matter what situation she was in, she rarely ever changed her expression. Caryn wasn't surprised though, she had went through traumatic experiences before meeting her. "But there is no other team that can aid them. We are the only chance they have at survival."

"Can you begin to comprehend just what we are going to be dealing with?" Sione asked, narrowing her eyes the slightest bit. "We know nothing about the enemy; therefore, we are going in blind."

Caryn tilted her head to the side, a slight frown marring her features. "We are. But I can promise you that I intend to get the information we need about them. Rogue Sight does have it's perks. And I'm sure that we can obtain some type of education from the humans if need be."

"You can't rely on your powers for everything, Caryn."

"I know that. I do have natural intelligence as well as physical strategy, you know."

"Don't boast. That's unlike you."

The goddess chuckled at the dry humor. "You know I'm only teasing." She grabbed her friend's hand in hers, giving her a reassuring squeeze despite the quick flinch Sione gave. She tried to ignore it. "I promise, everything will work out. I'd risk my life for you and the others."

The corner of her mouth lifted in a barely visible smirk, but it vanished as quickly as it came. "And I would for you as well. You know that."

"I would expect nothing less."

"Leader, we're back!"

Letting go of Sione's hand, she turned around to greet the rest of her team with a smile. Cylla stood next to Iris, their height difference vast as well as their looks. The youngest member had light brown hair pulled into twin tails, considering the length of her hair was long, although not as long as Caryn's. Her eyes were an ivory brown, a shade darker then her hair and it was easy to tell that she was young.

Usually Caryn would avoid adding a younger goddess to her team, but Cylla was different. Despite her young age, she was an experienced healer and an amazing blacksmith. The weapons she created for the team were desired throughout Elysium, but only the privileged were allowed to obtain one. With just a bit more training, she would become a strong warrior.

"That was quick. Already done resting?" Caryn teased lightly, making the third and fourth-in-commands blush. It was easy to tell that they were eager to learn more, which greatly pleased the Elysian princess.

"We want to learn as much as possible before leaving Elysium, leader..." Cylla muttered, hiding her face behind her jacket collar.

A prodigy, yet she's still innocent at heart. The goddess thought, chuckling mentally. "Of course. Before we finish for today, I have one more thing that I want to show you."

Caryn placed herself to stand in the middle of the barren field, her team's eyes trained on her as she muttered a few Elysian words under her breath. A moment later, a weapon of her choice had made it's presence in the palm of her hand.

The silver-edged sword glittered in the light of day, the interior dark as night to finish off the imperial look. The famous sword given to her by her father, Exodus, was one of the most powerful swords created of all time. Her brothers had owned similar swords, though for some reason she could not remember the names they had been given.

"There have been occurrences where an individual has mashed their natural powers with a weapon of their choice, and that is what I want to teach you. Allow me to demonstrate." The goddess looked to Sione, pointing her sword to the ground in front of her. "If you would please place a nice sized puddle right here, Sione."

Sione nodded her head curtly, sticking her hand out. A blue glow had momentarily surrounded her palm before disappearing and forming a medium-sized puddle of water in from of Caryn.

"Thank you." Said princess smiled in appreciation, flipping the sword a few times acrobatically before standing in a fighting position. "For this example, I'll be using the element or electricity. If you focus all of your energy to one place in your palms, that energy will travel to the basic components of metal in your weapon."

A loud, crackling sound began to raise in volume as violet sparks began trailing over the weapon in her hand like snakes sneaking up on prey. The area lit up with the vibrant color, the air beginning to feel thicker than before.

"This can prove to be helpful or dangerous. In a battle situation, this technique can take out many different enemies at once. Whether it be ten or twenty, or even thirty..."

Placing Exodus in the puddle, the surface of the water began to extract the bolts and without warning, lit the water on fire. Caryn took her sword back, sweeping a hand ou in front of her. "...the quantity does not matter. This small puddle, believe it or not, is enough to take out up to three enemies at a time. It's really quite useful if you are greatly outnumbered."

Cylla and Iris expressed their amazement openly, while Sione stood by and watched with a blank expression.

Caryn dispersed Exodus from sight, crossing her arms behind her back. "You can do this with any opposites that attract. Fire and Lightning, Water and Lightning, Earth and Water, the list goes on. Any questions?"

Cylla's hand shot up, her eyes sparkling with interest. Caryn smiled, nodding her head slightly to give her permission to speak even when it wasn't needed.

"Leader," She began, pressing her hands together. "If I tried using my knife with my element, would—"

"Princess!" A shout disturbed them from their training, and their heads whipped around to see a soldier kneeling over, breathing in heavily as if he had been running forever. He took a deep breath, his head shooting up to look at the team in alarm.

"What is it? Has something happened?" Caryn asked suspiciously, her expression grave as she kneel in front of the guard. He shook his head rapidly, making the goddess rear back in confusion.

"The Queen requires you to leave at once! Something horrible is happening on Earth as we speak!"

 **(x0x)**

The squad met the Queen in the throne room, a regular occurrence as of late. Once again Deitris was gazing into the woven portal below her, a thoughtful expression crossing her features as well as determination. Caryn tapped her foot, her team beside her as she sped up the notion for her mother to hear her. To no avail, she still wouldn't acknowledge them.

Caryn sighed, cupping her hands over her mouth. " _Mother! Why have you called for us?!"_ she shouted, the loud sound of her voice ricocheting off the walls. Deitris snapped out of her stupor, flinching a bit before looking down at them from her throne. She gave Caryn a weak smile.

"Apologies, I was merely observing the human world," she stood, lumbering down to her daughter with heavy feet. Even though she did not appear to be tired, Caryn knew that she was. She had been up constantly, monitoring the humans and looking for any mishaps before the goddesses took off on their mission.

"What is so urgent that it has you sending a squealing guard to fetch us?" Caryn asked, raising an eyebrow. A shadow fell over her mother's face, making the room temperature drop with the simple mood change. The air became tense, and everyone stood on edge.

"I expect you to pack the rest of the things you need and leave immediately. If you are going to follow through with this mission, then you must dispatch at once."

Iris made a shocked noise behind her, clearly not happy with the decision of the Queen. "Your Grace, we still haven't trained to the best of our abilities yet!" She protested, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. "If we go too early, it might prove to be more dangerous then we're prepared for…"

Deitris sighed, nodding her head curtly. "I know, dear one. Please understand that I hate to send you off when you are only just beginning your training." The queen placed her hands on her daughter's cheeks, gently caressing them much like she would when Caryn was a child. "It is urgent. At this very moment, the humans are under attack. I have just found that recently they have built protective barriers around civilization in hopes of keeping their enemies at bay, but one of these barriers has been breached. "

Sione's facial expression hardened, and the younger two of the team covered their mouths. Caryn's eyes widened a fraction. _This is definitely an urgent matter. Gods, why did this have to happen so soon? And when we were just about ready…_

"Have you estimated the amount of casualties, mother?" the blonde-haired goddess asked, eyebrows furrowed in thought. Deitris nodded, placing a hand on her chin and tapping it.

"I have a prediction that there is about twenty-three deaths at the moment. But I am sure there will be more. Perhaps if you arrive quickly enough, you can evade the enemy and seal the wall?" she offered hopefully, turning back around and clasping her hands together.

Caryn bit her lip. No doubt this was going to be a bloodbath if she and her team weren't careful. Looking over her shoulder at her three companions, she gave each a firm nod. The gesture was returned, showing that each individual was on equal terms with the queen's decision. Caryn turned back to her mother. "Very well. We will leave immediately." She announced.

Deitris's shoulders loosened up amicably, and she gave a relieved smile. "Excellent. Meet me in the portal room as soon as you are able. Dismissed."

The team bowed in unison, and Caryn was the first to move towards the exit. "Let's go, girls." She called, and said girls followed suit. Each member held their heads high, and pride swelled in the queen's chest as she watched them go. One by one, they filed out of the room and shut the large doors behind them, a guard occupying the front of them once again.

 _Those girls…_ Deitris climbed up to her throne once again, plopping down with a tired force. _They are truly forces of nature._

 **(x0x)**

"Cylla, seal the rest of our belongings in the stock dimension."

"Of course, leader!"

The small brunette cast a large shadow over the pile of clothing and necessities, placing once hand over the other before swiping across her palm's surface. In a quick, bright light, their belongings vanished. "It is done."

"Good. Is everyone ready?" Caryn fastened the belt around her waist, adorning loops in case of a needed placement to put her weaponry. They had all changed into more comfortable, battle-ready attire. The trench-like jacket she wore was of light material, a royal cerulean color with gold trim around the opening and the collar. Her romper was a brighter blue then her jacket, the shorts part a tad looser then the waist so she could move freely. A pair of black, compressed leggings and calf-high boots completed the look. Should her outfit get in the way, she could always strip of some things.

Sione had worn something vaguely similar, but without a jacket. Her romper was a forest green, a color that interestingly contrasted with her amber eyes. Over her leggings she hooked a knife holster that held three of the sharp weapons, and two were strapped to either dark green boot in case of none-replenishment.

Iris had chosen something a little less ladylike, which wasn't uncommon for the goddess. A silver, semi-heavy chestplate lay over a red long-sleeved shirt. She had slipped on some black gloves, the same shade as her cozy-fit pants. One of her beige boots had a gun-like weapon attached to the side, a last resort should she lose her physical weaponry in battle.

Cylla had taken the longest to pick out an outfit, always keen on being the stylish one no matter what situation she was put in. A light lavender blazer was thrown over her cream-colored shirt, a matching belt looped with various potions and symbols. It was always important to have remedies put aside considering she was the team's healer. A black, flowy-but-ruffled skirt went down to mid-thigh, and the boots she had worn were a dark amethyst that went just below the skirt.

Sione huffed in disgust at the youngest comrade's appearance. "I do hope you are wearing some type of shorts under your skirt, Cylla. We are heading to the battlefield, not the taverns."

Iris snorted, covering her mouth with one hand at Sione's insult. Cylla blushed in embarrassment, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the silver-haired goddess. "O-Of course I am, dummy!" she snapped, pulling her skirt down a few more inches for good measure. "Just because I like to stay in fashion does not mean I would flaunt myself like a notorious tramp!"

"Alright, you two." Caryn interrupted, pushing the goddesses away from each other. The atmosphere was beginning to feel heavy with their hostility, and despite the usual closeness of her group, it wasn't a rare occasion when they bickered with each other. "Enough. Sione, I understand that what Cylla is wearing may be a bit… _provoking,_ " Cylla flushed a brighter shade of red at this. "But it shouldn't matter, as long as she can move to an extent. She does not compete in combat as often as we do unless it is completely necessary. Therefore, it shouldn't be a problem."

Sione stilled, her gaze flickering from the two. She was not pleased, but there was no way that she would go against her superior's demand. "Fine. But don't come crying to me if some perverted male decides to get a glimpse of the goods." She muttered, making Iris break out into laughter.

Cylla made an offended sound, one finger pointed accusingly at the silvernette. "Funny how you say male when the perverted one would most likely be you!" she spat, face no longer red with embarrassment but anger. Caryn groaned, placing a hand over her ears to shut out the quarrel.

Without warning, a bow-and-arrow was pointed at the youngest member. Sione's eyes left no room for mercy, daring Cylla to test her patience. "Take that back, fledgling." She growled, pulling back the string so far that she nearly released on instinct. "You know nothing about me. You have only been a part of this squad for a year, and you dare assume something so crass?"

Cylla scoffed, drawing her battle knife from it's sheath in the blink of an eye. Both of the goddesses were at each other's throats instantly, arrow against knife. "I know that your past revolves around what I just said. Need I say more to support my statement?" a dark smirk formed on her youthful face, completely out of character for the prodigy.

Sione grit her teeth, her expression furious. " _You—"_

"I said _enough!_ "

Before either of them could react, Caryn grabbed them by their necks and bumped their foreheads together. Both fell back, landing on the ground with hands to their heads. Caryn huffed, placing her hands on her hips and giving them a disapproving scowl. "Serves you two right for not listening to me. One more word, I _promise_ you—"she cut herself off, taking in a deep breath. "Just…no more. We have to focus, do I _once again_ make myself clear?!"

Everyone nodded, and the armory was silent once again. "Fantastic. Now that we have everything packed, we can leave. Let's go." Caryn turned and made her way to the portal room, leaving no room for discussion.

When the team reached the entrance to the portal room, they stepped inside to see that the queen was already present. A neutral expression harbored her face, showing just how serious the situation really was. The atmosphere was tense and it was hard to start conversation in the almost suffocating room.

The portal was a large, gate-like monument that shifted through galactic colors. Even though no wind was present, a small breeze came from it like a meadow in the springtime. This was because their destination bore wind—Earth.

"Are you all set? I shall not stall you any longer." Deitris said, placing her hands on Caryn's shoulders. Her eyes were full of admiration when she stared into Caryn's own. She could tell that the goddess was stressed.

Caryn reached out, pulling her mother into a tight hug. It wasn't often that she showed her affection in public, only on rare occasions like this one. She couldn't care less what anyone else in the room thought as she buried her face into Deitris's neck, taking in the sweet smell of chamomile and honey that she always seemed to emit. Caryn began to feel nostalgic, memories pouring into her mind from when she was a child. This was the first time that she would be separated from her mother for so long.

"Mom…" she said, the sound muffled due to her mother's shoulder. Her vulnerability was showing, and for the first time in her life, she completely let go in front of her team. " _Mom…_ "

The sound was a quiet whimper, just barely reaching Deitris's ears. The queen squeezed her daughter tighter, shushing her in an attempt to calm her down. It was so unlike Caryn to let her walls crumble, showing the gentle yet frail girl underneath that volunteered for such a difficult task at a young age.

At one point, Deitris could feel her own tears sliding down her face. Her only daughter would be facing great dangers without her, and she had almost changed her mind then and there about letting them go to Earth. She had already lost her husband, losing her daughter as well would surely ruin her very being. Mustering up as much strength as she could, she kissed the side of Caryn's face and pulled back to look at her through glazed over eyes.

"Chin up, darling." She ordered sternly, tapping Caryn's chin to get her attention. The goddess cleared her throat, wiping her face of any leftover residue and giving her mother a firm nod. Deitris smiled proudly, patting her cheek. "You will come back to me safe and sound. Complete your mission, and be strong." She leaned down, kissing her forehead with emotion. "You have the mind of a leader and the heart of a phoenix, both of which prove you are an outstanding warrior."

"You think so highly of me, mother."

"She always has and always will, Caryn."

A voice with a slight rasp interrupted their exchange, and both goddesses turned to the entrance to see Sylphas watching over them with an unreadable expression. The elder caught Caryn's eyes, giving her an uncomfortable smile that made her narrow her eyes.

"Elder." She greeted curtly, letting go of her mother to bow her head politely. "I did not expect to see you here, before we parted on such short notice."

"Short, indeed." He agreed, limping over to the two females and stopping in front of Caryn, placing his bony hands on her shoulders. The blonde tried her best not to tense; but something just did not sit well about the male. He acted as if he had true intentions, yes, but the way he went about carrying them out were somewhat suspicious. "I heard the news from a nearby guard, and decided to stop by to give you a parting gift."

Caryn smiled hesitantly. "That's so very kind of you," she thanked him meekly. "To what do I owe the pleasure of receiving such a gift?"

"I figured you will find much use for this if you are ever in need of communicating with your mother." Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a cylinder-shaped device that adorned green and blue crystals. The texture was leather; she could tell by the rubbery material circling the object. Grabbing her hand in a firm grip, Sylphas placed it in her palm and closed her fingers around it.

"This wonderful contraption is called an Iome. It allows you to send and receive visual messages from long distances, even throughout different dimensions. Live meetings are also possible. To use it, all you have to do is flick your wrist, and say the person or place you wish to send the message to or hold a meeting." The elder's charcoal eyes met hers, giving her a reassuring smile. "Why don't you try it?"

 _Interesting…_ Caryn thought, nodding and taking a step back. She casted a look over her shoulder at her squad, all of them giving her nods before she did the same. Flicking her wrist slightly, a blue light shot out of the device, a mini screen coming into view. Caryn let out a whistle. "That really is helpful. But how do I know if I've received a message?" she asked Sylphas, waving the Iome around and watching the holographic screen fade in and out of color.

The elder placed his hands behind his back, straightening his posture as if he were a tutor teaching his pupil something important. "The biggest gem at the base of the Iome will glow a bright blue once you've received a message or if someone requests a live call with you. Just tap it and it will emit either one."

"This is a fantastic gift, elder." Caryn smiled genuinely, bowing at the waist. Her team followed suite, giving him their thank-yous as well. "Thank you very much. I will be sure to use this whenever I find something important or amiss."

Sylphas chuckled, waving a hand nonchalantly. "It's nothing, my dear. Please raise your head. I think it's time for me to take my leave so that you may take yours."

"It does seem to be that time already." Caryn agreed, giving her mother one last fond look before turning to the portal, stepping up to it cautiously. The breeze on her face was getting stronger and stronger the closer she got to it, and she could faintly smell a trace of pine. Were they going to arrive in a forest somewhere? That would be unexpected.

"I will go in first. I'm sure that no matter how much time passes between dives, we will arrive there at the same time." Caryn turned her full attention back to her mother as she placed the Iome in an empty holster slot. Deitris's expression was strong, pride-filled for her daughter as she gave one firm nod.

"Make myself and Elysium proud, girls." Her voice held true, her posture straight as a ruler and her hands placed behind her back. A war cry erupted from the team, and Caryn gave her mother one last glance before rushing into the portal.

And then she was soaring.

 **(x0x)**

The space around her was completely dark and unwelcoming.

The feeling of flying subsided a bit, taking the sensation of falling. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling per-say, just abnormal from her usual gliding when she boosted her jumps during training.

Caryn's eyes focused on a single, bright light in front of her, and she realized her body was falling towards it. Descending upon it at a rapid rate almost alarmed the goddess, due to the fact that she would indeed be traveling through it at any second.

Her senses went haywire as she enhanced them, making sure that her body and mind were prepared for the inevitable. Most likely when she landed she would launch into battle, and being unprepared for it would most definitely lead to her downfall.

 _Protect the team, and protect the humans._

That was her goal.

The light continued to get brighter and brighter until whole vision was consumed by white, blinding Caryn's vision once again. A loud _pop_ could be heard before her feet touched something solid and slope-like. Maybe a hill or a ramp?

But of course, she was incorrect.

In fact, the scene was completely different from what she had pictured.

Once her sight had cleared, she could see that she was surrounded by nice-sized buildings and houses. She stood upon a roof of one of these buildings, the slight slope dipping down and forcing her to lean her weight upwards for balance. She had arrived in a town; that much was obvious.

Smoke billowed from some of the buildings, a few flares also taking flight into the smoke-polluted sky. Red? Green? Different colors alerting her that she was indeed thrown into the fight as soon as she arrived.

The only thing that shocked her was the enormous wall surrounding the town, the farthest corner emitting the most smoke. _That's where the wall must have been breached,_ the goddess concluded, summoning her sword to her holster. She did not yet see a foe in sight, but it would be hasty if she had not armed herself. Exodus weighted down her belt, and she itched to take it out and swing it at something.

More popping sounds could be heard from behind her, and she whipped around to see her comrades appear in a bright light one by one. Sione had been first, crouching the minute her feet touched the roof. She drew an arrow and placed it next to her bow, quickly analyzing the area in case of enemies.

Cylla and Iris were next to touch down, there weapons drawn in a similar fashion. Iris's energy rapier glinted as she waved it around, lowering it as well as her guard. Cylla's eyes were closed in focus, the air around her pulsing before she opened her eyes. Her vision pulse did not extend to it's full potential, stunning the youngest member.

"I don't understand…" she muttered, placing a finger on her temple and shutting her eyes once again. A frown marred her forehead and her chocolate orbs were revealed to be distraught. "I can't feel any signatures around us, but the vibration is most definitely there."

"My hearing isn't as superior as it should be at the moment, either." Sione said blandly, pursing her lips and ruffling her short silver hair. "I can hear voices once minute, and the next I hear nothing."

"It may be because our bodies are adjusting to the new atmosphere around us," Caryn said. She slowly drew Exodus from it's hook, flipping it a few times to get a comfortable grip. "We need to give it a few minutes." She stretched a bit, glancing to her third-in-command. "Smell anything different?"

Iris shrugged, taking a few deep breaths as her nostrils flared. She shook her head in defeat. "Nothing out of the ordinary, besides the smell of smoke and rotting flesh—oh."

Caryn lifted a brow at the ravenette. "Rotting flesh, you say? Dead bodies," she confirmed. She thought for a second, biting her lip. "Wait a minute…"

Moments later, a loud thump rattled the roof, making the goddesses still on edge. Each of their postures was tense and battle-ready, preparing to lunge if the situation called for it. The smell of rotting flesh was potent now, so potent that even the goddesses with regular senses of smell could trace the scent. The thumping became more violent, and Caryn's head snapped to the left.

It was absolutely _hideous._

There, in front of them, stood a Titan around ten meters tall. It munched on the poor human in it's fist by her legs, violent screams making their way out of her throat as she was devoured alive. Bile rose in the back of Caryn's throat, her body suppressing a shudder as she was forced to watch the very being she was supposed to protect be eaten like a mid-day snack.

"Caryn!" Sione snapped, shaking the blonde from her sudden stupor. "Get it together and make the order! Now's not the time to sidetrack yourself." She raised her bow, and with a snap of the string, the arrow went flying. A purple streak zipped across the sky, impaling the Titan right in it's eye. It let out a piercing shriek, the sound loud enough to break a few windows close by.

Sione was right. She could not afford to let the fear consume her right now. She had a mission to complete and she was not about to let her enemies get the best of her. Giving her own cheeks a few rough pats, she shook her head violently to get rid of negative thoughts and turned to the others.

"Right then, battle formation C! You know what to do; stay in range where I can hear your thoughts. Only engage if it is absolutely necessary. If you clear the area, regroup to the front of the wall's gate." Giving herself a running start, the leader jumped from one roof to the other. "Stay safe! Iris, you're with me."

"Of course." Iris rolled her eyes, gliding next to the blonde as they made their way to the gate. She ignored the sound of gigantic bodies hitting the floor and terrorized screams of all kinds, gripping her rapier's handle tightly. "I bet I'm your favorite, even though Sione is your second-in-command. We make a great pair, don't we?" she boasted, nudging Caryn a bit and making her nearly trip into one of the buildings walls. She quickly recovered, picking up speed and giving Iris a half-hearted glare.

"Perhaps…" she concurred lightly, looking out at her from the corner of her eye. A quick-witted smirk made it's way upon her face. "Or maybe I just want to keep a close eye on you, considering you are more behind in training then the others."

"H-Huh? Hey! That's not funny! I am just as capable as Sione and Cylla are!" she sputtered in embarrassment, a red blush coating her cheeks. A Titan had begun it's pursuit on their right, Caryn readying her blade to take it out. "Just because I don't excel in hand-to-hand doesn't mean I'm terrible in swordsmanship!"

"Of course." Caryn replied indignantly, making Iris give one final groan before she pushed off the side of the roof she was currently on, the energy boost giving her immense height as she landed on the Titan's outstretched arm. This one was slightly bigger, about 13 meters tall.

"If you think you're going to eat me today…" Caryn spat darkly, sprinting along it's forearm and dodging it's other arm as it tried to ensnare her in a vice grip. "You're sorely mistaken!" Kicking off of it's arm and landing a firm swipe to the Titan's face, the goddess infused her lightning with Exodus and released a flurry of slashes upon the base of the throat. Hot blood erupted from the slits in its throat as well as steam, enveloping Caryn's lungs for a split second before the Titan began to fall, taking her with it.

Taking a leap from its shoulder to another roof, Caryn watched in fascination as the corpse began to disintegrate in place, the blood on her weapon and clothes evaporating as well.

"Interesting." She muttered profusely, making a face at the steam the corpse gave off. Even if the skin had already disappeared, the sight was still gruesome to watch. The way the Titan's body vanished from sight after its death was disturbing to the blonde.

Iris was busy with her own titan, a four meter that stumbled towards her in a peculiar way. Its mannerisms were completely different from the others, reaching out with both hands like a child would to be picked up. A jagged blast of lightning struck the Titan in between its eyes with a loud crack, effectively sending the smaller foe down to the ground and into a building. Iris let out a whoop of victory, swooping down from the rooftops to take a closer look at her kill. Dust clouded her vision momentarily, making her cough slightly and wave a hand to try and clear it.

" _This_ is what the humans are having a hard time defeating?" she snorted, not impressed with the titan's skills at all. Caryn watched with alert eyes as she could see a shadow moving through the dust. "They are nothing more than pests, if you'd ask me."

"Iris, be cautious!" the leader called down to her companion, making the younger turn back to give a confused look. "That one acts differently than the other ones do!"

"What? But its d—"

Cutting herself off, the goddess leaped from her spot on the ground to a space a few yards away to dodge the hand that swept itself at her form. Nope, the titan was definitely not dead. With a strangled moan, it lifted itself off of the ground in a standing position. A giant crazed smile graced its features, its arms swinging wildly in an attempt to catch the goddess.

Before it could reach her, however, a beam of light shot through its skull, halting its movements and sending it careening to the ground once again. A dark blade slashed its neck, decapitating its head from its body. No movement was visible, and the corpse melted through its own skeleton.

Caryn landed swiftly by the corpse, staring down at it in disgust. She resisted the urge to kick through its ribcage, telling herself that it was indeed dead. Iris parted her lips in shock, her eyes wide as saucers. How had her leader taken it down so fast?

"I'll be damned, I've never seen you move that quick before!" she complimented Caryn, giving her a toothy grin. She made her way over to the blonde, ignoring her amused expression and placing her arm around her shoulders. The height difference between the two of them wasn't too vast; but it was noticeable.

"I was not aware that I had even moved from my spot on the roof…" Caryn scratched the side of her cheek, eyes still trained on the titan's remains. A light blush coated her cheeks at her subordinate's praise. "When I saw that you were in danger, my body took the liberty of moving by itself to your aid. An unlikely perk, Hm?"

"Agreed!" Iris cheered, green eyes sparkling. She took a great leap onto the rooftops, waving a hand towards the smoke-emitting gates. "We should get a move on, then. We still have to meet the other girls at the front."

"Of course." Caryn agreed without hesitation, tightening her grip on Exodus and nodding her head. One push off the ground and she was following Iris suite, taking the lead in a matter of seconds. "You seem rather fond of taking over my job." She teased lightly, nudging her comrade in a playful manner. Iris just snorted, training her focus on the gates in front of them.

With their speed, the goddesses easily caught up to the gate. The duo stopped in unison, taking in the chaos commencing around them. There were titans coming from every angle, soldiers leading them away from the hole-engorged gate with supple yells and strange, metal devices they carried around their waists. They carried a pair of blades in their hands, some lucky enough to take down a beast while others were not so lucky, their lives ending as soon as a titan was able to grab them by their frail bodies.

"Leader, look at that!"

At the sound of Iris's awe filled voice, Caryn looked in the direction she was pointing her finger in.

It was a sight to behold.

A titan, fifteen meters in height, was slowly making its way towards them with an enormous rock on its shoulders. The action was bizarre, but it wasn't as if the goddesses hadn't seen some interesting things since they had arrived on Earth. Steam erupted from its mouth with every puff, his muscles taught as he tried to support the extra weight taking a toll on his body.

"Seems as if he is an ally of the humans," Caryn kneeled down, watching the rogue titan with careful eyes. It made no move to harm the humans guiding it forward, in fact it made sure that it took careful steps to avoid them. "Strange, I thought all titans were considered enemies?"

"That rock is the same size as the hole in the wall, so I'm guessing it's going to plug it." Iris concluded, one hand placed under her chin in a thinking pose. It was as if they were only spectators, inspecting a situation carefully before taking action.

"That's exactly what he's going to do. And the humans on the ground are leading each and every titan they can away from him so that he has a clear path without issue." Caryn stood, raising Exodus and watching as the dark blade glittered in the light. "Perhaps we should help as well, I would rather us be the one's risking out lives instead of a fragile soldier. We are more durable, after all."

"More durable, until one reaches out and crushes our bones the exact same way they would those _'fragile soldiers'_." Iris replied snidely, a frown marring her features as she began her pursuit after a ten meter titan making its way towards the rogue titan. Caryn rolled her eyes and shook her head at her comrade's antics, finding a titan of her own and successfully leading it away.

The goddesses ran side by side together, leading their titans down a separate road that led to a dead end. Iris clicked her tongue, jumping onto the roof after her leader. "These things are pitiful." She noted, watching as the beasts clawed at the sides of the building to get to them. The gate was still in view; the titan nearly reaching its objective. About thirty seconds or so was all it needed. "Brainless bastards."

"Indeed." Caryn agreed, eyes shifting towards her targets and the rogue titan. Fifteen more seconds. "But I know there is more than meets the eye when it comes to them. Something is not quite right here, and I intend to find the solution to this problem."

" _GO!"_

A scream tore through the air, followed by a deafening roar that cut her off. It was so loud that it shook the area around them, the vibrations bouncing off of the building walls. The duo snapped their heads towards the direction of the noise, watching as the rogue titan reached the wall and sealed the hole with the gigantic rock it had been carrying. A shot of green smoke went up into the sky, most likely meaning that they had completed their task.

"Incredible. They actually managed to pull it off…" the blonde goddess praised, amethyst eyes wide with amazement. She debated whether or not to sheathe her sword for the time being, deciding against it. They may have sealed the breach, but there were still titans lurking everywhere, including the ones below them at this very second.

Iris whistled. "Still, how're they going to get rid of all of these titans?" she asked incredulously, scratching the side of her head. "I bet they're all exhausted."

"Patience is a virtue, Iris. I'm sure in their line of work, that trait is essential."

The air shifted behind her, and she turned her head to find her other two subordinates making their way towards them. She breathed out a sigh of relief; they didn't seem to have any major injuries. Sione had a few scrapes here and there, and she moved as if her body was stiff. Most likely, she was going to bruise a bit before healing. Cylla had a nice-sized gash above her brow, the gold blood of the gods leaking from the wound. Caryn didn't worry for her; she would heal in an instant due to her expertise in healing.

"Glad to see you two are okay. Looks like you ran into more enemies than we did," Caryn teased, receiving a half-hearted glare from her second-in-command. Sione observed the area around them, her expression shifting from irritation to confusion.

"It was nothing!" Cylla waved off, reaching up and fixing one of the bands in her hair. It had snapped, letting part of her hair escape to the front of her face. She easily mended it, tightening her hair back into place. "There were a few annoying one's here and there, but Sione and I managed to take them down with time." Her eyes flickered to the side, the rogue titan in full view. He had fallen in front of the sealed wall, steam erupting in rivulets from his body.

"Caryn," Sione spoke low, ignoring the gasp that left Cylla's mouth at the sight of all the dead soldiers and titan corpses. "What did we miss? Something important went transpired here, didn't it?" her amber orbs narrowed, their depths alight with unanswered questions directed towards said goddess.

"It's quite a long story." The leader sighed, adjusting the belt around her waist and pulling the extender tightly. "Something that I will have to save for later."

Two humans stood atop the rogue titan, pulling what seemed to be another body out of its nape. The squad was left with no words. Had they really just pulled a _human_ from one of the bodies of their enemy? None of this made sense. One of the soldiers, an ashen-haired female, clung tightly to the brunette boy in her arms who was unconscious. The other soldier, a male with a blonde bowl-cut, rushed over to help the girl who appeared to try and pull the brunette from the titan. A strange, muscle-like material stuck to his skin and made it difficult to separate him from the corpse.

"It's too dangerous for him to stay down here, Mikasa!" the blonde boy cried, tugging with all of his might at the brunette's shoulders. "We have to get him up the wall!"

A third, silver-haired woman landed on the corpse, kneeling down next to the blonde. "Pulling at him like that won't work. We'll have to cut him loose." She said gruffly, readying her blades for a precise incision. The dark-haired girl, Mikasa, let out a noise of discontent.

"Are you insane?!" She disagreed, grabbing onto the woman's sleeve to keep her from swinging. "Wait!—"

Without warning, the woman slashed downwards and cut the flesh part between the brunette and the titan. He immediately detached, falling against the blonde boy and making him grunt do to the extra weight. The two went tumbling farther down the corpse's back, away from their comrades and towards the many titans that had gotten closer to them during their time of distraction.

"That doesn't look good," Caryn launched off of the roof, her team yelling for her behind her. She ignored them, hearing the _swoosh_ sounds of them following her lead. Miscommunications between them were rare; this was no exception. "Protect them at all costs! Keep all enemies away!"

"Right!"

"On it!"

"You don't have to tell me twice."

 _Excellent._

Their forms were blurred out as they swiftly and easily caught up to the surrounding titans, the human-addicted foes unaware of their presence. There were four in total, one for each of them. All of which were the same size.

 _This should be fairly quick, as long as everyone uses strategy while in formation—_

Caryn thought too soon, however.

Suddenly, Sione zipped ahead of the group towards the two titans that loomed over the soldier boys. She whipped out her battle knife, suitable for close-combat, and lodged it into the beast's outstretched forearm.

"No, Sione! Stay close by until I call the signal!" Caryn shouted, picking up speed and using a tad bit of her wind manipulation to increase swiftness. The silver-haired goddess ignored her, dislodging the blade and kicking herself mid-air. The brunette boy's eyes were slightly opened, his shocking teal orbs glazed over but watching them with curiosity. The blonde boy had a terrified expression on his face, the scene before him close to unreal. He wasn't wrong to be fearful of the situation. If they survived, they would have to use compulsion and wipe their memories. That was one rule they had broken. Lay low and keep your identity a secret.

If only that rule hadn't been valid.

The titan closest to the one Sione had stabbed flicked its hand out, meaning to grab the goddess by her shoulders but making the mistake of knocking her away with a force. The trio called out worriedly to their teammate as she collided with a medium-sized cottage, breaking through the shutters and disappearing into the newly-created debris.

Without warning, the same titan arm came between the goddesses and separated them, forcing each of them to take on their foe one-on-one. Caryn didn't mind much; whether it be two titans or twenty, she would destroy them no matter the challenge or difficulty. She had made a promise to complete her mission, and she would do just that.

Her and her team would make it home, safe and sound. Just like she had promised.

Cylla danced between her titan's feet, stopping for a split-second to infuse her energy into her battle knife.

Nothing happened.

The youngest member's eyes widened in disbelief, her focus trained on her weapon. She tried once more, sweat mingling with fresh blood that still slipped from her acquired wound. Feeling a draft from above her, Cylla squeaked and quickly dodged the foot that had nearly flattened her like a pancake.

"It's not working!" she complained loudly, skipping to the side to avoid yet another trampling. "My magic, it's not working! It was fine just a little bit ago!"

"Come to think of it, Cylla," Iris called to her, sending a quick flurry of slashes to her titan's thigh and watching it fall to one knee. "That wound on your forehead still hasn't healed, either." She bared her teeth angrily when she, too, could not use her magic. The lightning she had casted some fifteen minutes ago was nonexistent, further annoying the raven-haired goddess. "What the hell? I'm not getting anything too! What's going on?!"

Caryn tried to multitask without getting herself caught, worry for her comrades and the humans spiraling out of control. Her task was a bit trickier, having two titans pining after her instead of the usual one. She balanced herself one one's head, cutting off some fingers of the other and watching them grow back in seconds. "Our bodies are still adjusting?" she mumbled, mostly to herself. "At this rate, we're going to run out of natural energy…"

"Aim for the nape of the neck! That's the titan's weak spot!"

The silver-haired soldier appeared behind Iris's titan, using her maneuver-like gear to efficiently strike the back of its neck. The cut was deep, blood pouring out of the wound as well as steam. Iris landed a few feet away, letting out a relieved sigh. It didn't take long for the woman to figure out that they were not normal beings, and they hardly knew anything about the dangerous foes they were brawling with.

"Hey thanks! Your help is very much appreciated." Iris called to her gratefully. The woman just shrugged, leaping off of the corpse and making her way towards Cylla's titan as well.

"No problem. You seemed as if you were having complications."

"Honestly? We are. These titan things are a pain in my ass."

"Glad to see we share the same thoughts."

Iris chuckled, watching as her leader cut all places she reached on her enemies. The calves, shins, hamstrings, abdomen, shoulders, arms. Anywhere with tendons. Her efforts were in vain considering their limbs grew back just as fast as they lost them.

 _Of course, my abilities prove to be useless as well._ Caryn growled mentally, drawing back a few feet and diving in again to cut one of the titan's hamstrings. Exodus was currently malfunctioned, its power not available just as hers weren't. _Usually I just cut once and that would be the end of it, but right now…_

 _ **CRACK!**_

Caryn's eyes widened in horror at how fast Cylla's titan swung its hand down, sending the goddess barreling into the ground. She skid a few yards into the cobblestone, the impact so strong that it cracked under the pressure of her body.

The silver-haired soldier appeared behind the titan, spitting profanities while she sliced the nape of its neck in one solid swoop. It was easy to tell that she was skilled in combat. Caryn watched as Cylla let out a strangled cry, rushing over to the fallen ravenette. Iris wasn't moving at all, her form completely covered with wounds from the neck down. Pieces of wood and rock were imbedded in her skin, the blood leaking out of cuts at an alarming pace.

Caryn leapt onto a window ledge, ignoring the titans that were slowly making their way over to her. They would be distracted and most likely wouldn't go for the wounded. The blonde cupped a hand over her mouth, yelling to the youngest member from a distance. "Tend to her wounds as much as possible! I will take care of these two!"

"B-But what about Sione, leader?" the brunette wailed, tears flowing out of her eyes as she tried to gently pull the remnants out of Iris's skin. Not even her healing magic was active, and that would prove to be a great problem. "She's still stuck inside of that cottage over there!" she gestured to the wrecked building only a few yards from where she was kneeling. It showed no signs of life coming from it, further worrying her. Caryn swallowed, regretting her next words.

"Do whatever you can to help Iris, first. Sione always makes a fast recovery, she'll be okay for the time being."

The words sounded like cheap excuses when coming out of her mouth, nearly making her pinch herself out of her own stupidity. Caryn looked out the corner of her eyes. The titans were closing in on her faster then she'd expected. Of course, being that big you would probably cover more ground. That was inevitable with their height. _I don't have much time. Any second and they'll be onto me._

" _What?!_ " Cylla's eyes were bugging out of her head at the ridiculous order. "Why would you suggest such a thing?! She could be near death!" The brunette looked from Iris to the damaged cottage, clearly at a stalemate with her thoughts.

Caryn grit her teeth, trying her best not to snap at her subordinate. Arguing was not helping their situation in the slightest. She could feel the titans nearly hover over her. If she couldn't get Cylla to what she asked, she would surely lose her focus and be snatched up in her enemies' clutches.

"Cylla, I know how conflicted you must be feeling. But right now, it's not the time to be—"

" _LOOK OUT!"_

.

.

.

The warning came too late.

A hand wrapped around Caryn's frame, applying pressure that was deathly tight. The goddess gasped, trying to collect any air that she could. She had miscalculated by one second.

Caryn could vaguely hear Cylla cry her name as she struggled to escape from the titan's grip. And suddenly, she was sent careening to the side. For a split-second, she saw the wall that she would hit before a sharp pain went throughout her entire body, rendering her vision from clear to black with the fading sounds of screams and cries.

It only took one mistake for her to completely mess everything up.

 **(Cylla's POV)**

When Caryn's body collided with the protective wall that scoped around the city, I screamed.

Had I been a second early to warn her, the titan would have caught air instead of her body in its filthy grasp. It had completely and utterly been my fault.

I wanted to get up and run as fast as my legs could carry me over to my fallen superior, but I know she would have wanted me to stay and help Iris, who looked worse for wear in her broken state. Great. All three of my teammates had fallen and there was nothing I could do.

The soldier that had helped Iris in defeating her titan and mine growled, gripping her hair tightly in her hands as her gaze shifted from Caryn, to me, and to the other three soldiers that still stood atop the titan that had used the rock to seal the wall. "Damnit!" she cursed aloud, and I muttered my agreement. That was exactly how I felt at this moment.

I felt Iris stir beneath my hands, and my gaze snapped down to her face. She squinted, the wounds on her body finally beginning to close themselves up. I gasped in relief. Our powers were gradually starting to come back, albeit slowly. At this rate, Iris would regain consciousness in a few minutes.

"Stay with your friend." The silver-haired woman ordered me, eyes leaving no room for discussion. "I'm going to try and help your other one. I suggest pulling her somewhere enclosed so the titans don't see you as easily."

As if reading her mind, a small horde of said titans appeared from down the road, three or four of them at most. I felt sick, the bile in my throat rising with my fear and anxiety. Iris was right. We shouldn't of left so early, not without the necessary knowledge of how to correctly defeat them.

"Oh god, this is worse than I thought possible." The soldier shivered. She took up a battle stance in front of us, her eyes sweeping over every part of the area. She was definitely unsure or what to do. "I'll be out of gas soon; I don't know how much more of this I can take…"

My eyes found Caryn's form again, briefly ignoring the woman. Tears nearly blurred my vision as I watched my leader, my friend, my _caretaker_ be plucked midair when her body fell from the wall. The very same titan that had thrown her had caught her by her golden locks, now free from her usual ponytail. She hung from its grasp like a stringed puppet, streams of blood escaping the wound on her neck and chest. Her clothing was stained gold, crusting to become a sickening yellow color that did not fade. She was also in poor condition from the collision. Her eyes were clouded over, unfocused. She was unconscious, but her eyes were still open.

I could only watch in horror as the titan began to slowly lift her up to its face, time slowing down with its movements. No doubt it was planning to devour her, the thought extremely disturbing. I remembered what I had seen earlier when fighting the monsters; humans entering their mouths as they took a bite with a disgusting, fowl crunch, the sound of bones being grinded and broken and the showers of red blood piercing the air. The endless screams of agony and fear painfully rupturing my eardrums.

It was as if we had entered the depths of the Underworld.

"Gods," I whispered, holding my prayers close to my heart. "Please, no…"

"Team four, cover this area and take them out!"

"Understood!"

The whistling of air met my ears, and I looked in the direction of the voices to see five—no, six?—bodies with green capes covering their forms surrounding the oncoming wave of titans, moving skillfully around them and dodging their beefy hands as they tried to swat at them like they were annoying flies. It didn't seem to faze them as they continued their assault, each assisting each other as they made their way to the titan's napes and slice them without mercy. It was enthralling to watch.

"The scouts are here…" the silver-haired soldier whispered, more to herself. I could hear the awe and relief lacing her tone, no matter how quiet it was. "Thank god."

I almost agreed with her, almost. The titan who had captured Caryn had briefly taken a look behind it to watch its brethren be slain, the eerie smile still plastered on its face. Another note, they did not feel any emotion whatsoever. Pain was more of a physical feeling, nothing more.

I gripped Iris's hand tightly as her movement increased. She was waking up now. I could feel it. The link between our minds were reattaching themselves, though not completely. That meant that one of us was still unconscious, and I couldn't tell if it was Caryn or Sione.

The titan turned back to its pray, resuming the ascension of raising Caryn to his mouth. I opened my own to scream her name—

 _ **WHOOSH!**_

.

.

.

It happened incredibly fast.

 _So_ fast, that I was barely able to see a blur of black and green move above the titan. Before the dumb thing could even process what was happening, a chunk fell from the nape of its neck, steam puffing out of the fatal wound along with blood. The second titan Caryn had fought was already on the ground, the corpse already disintegrating.

 _How in goddesses' name…?_

The titan holding Caryn began to fall forward, its knees hitting the cobblestone and taking my blonde-haired friend with it. It still hadn't released her, the grip around her hair still strong. If it didn't let go now, she would be crushed under its enormous body.

And of course, I had spoken from the fear in my heart that was completely natural.

The blur was back, appearing above the titan's hand. My mouth dropped open when suddenly, Caryn began to fall.

 _With half of her hair missing._

Oh. There was going to be hell to pay.

It wasn't even my hair that had been cut so drastically, and I was still furious.

Caryn disappeared as soon as the dead titan hit the ground, causing dust and dirt to billow upwards on impact. It completely blocked my view of the corpse, but I could faintly see a dark silhouette of a person upon its back. It was kneeling with what looked to be another person lying beside it.

"Could it be…?" I asked under my breath, hoping to the gods that it was Caryn, safe and sound. Despite the fact that he hair had been so rudely cropped off. Iris groaned from beneath me, her body wracking with coughs. I leaned down, helping her into a sitting position and patting her back lightly. Her hand delicately rose to her mouth, her ragged coughs muffled by her fist. She was now awake.

"I feel like I've been trampled on," she complained after she was able to control her coughing. Her green eyes were hooded, the light slowly coming back to them. "Hey, where's— _Oh."_

I raised an eyebrow in confusion, a slight pout tugging my lips as I followed the finger she had pointed forward.

On top of the dead titan, stood a man with coal-black hair and piercing, slate-grey eyes. I could tell her was on the shorter side, but it did nothing to diminish the powerful aura he gave off. He donned a green cape, just like the others had. An insignia was stretched across the back, one white wing and one blue wing. It held a powerful meaning; that much was obvious.

He was no doubt handsome, but not someone I would personally go for. He reminded me too much of someone I had once known. His expression was blank, eyes glimmering with something that was hard to place—interest, perhaps?—as he stared down at the form beside him. I squealed when I realized it was indeed Caryn, more or less unharmed.

Her hair was in a disarray around her, partly covering her eyes. This time I really couldn't tell if she was awake or not.

The man looked over his shoulder at the soldiers who still occupied the top of the rogue titan, their expressions alight with disbelief and worry. Why, I could not understand. They had just been saved, why would they feel troubled still?

There must have been a reason. This man screamed danger, but at the same time he appeared harmless. What could it have been?

"Alright, cadets." He spoke up, his voice a deep baritone that sounded almost too attractive for him. He flipped his gaze back onto Caryn, who stayed in the same position. His eyes hardened to a frightening degree that sent negative chills down my spine. "This is where you tell me exactly what the hell is going on, and exactly what I'm witnessing."

We should have known to stay out of human affairs.

That was our first mistake.

 **(x0x)**

 **' . . .**

 **I swear to you guys, revising this chapter took me nearly two weeks. With my busy schedule, it's so hard to put in time to finish chapters and publish them on ff. Even though it took me a while, I can honestly say that I enjoyed writing this chapter. And the length surprised me, considering I usually keep my chapter in the 5k-6k range. This is more two chapters in one. Which is okay, just unusual for me.**

 **I really hope you guys enjoyed. Remember, if you did happen to read TBOL, just know that this is going to have a completely different plot with extra characters. Oh, and I won't change POV's often, it was necessary for this chapter.**

 **R &R, It keeps me going! ALSO TO THOSE GUESTS THAT REVIEWED, PLEASE TITLE YOURSELVES OR CREATE AN ACC SO I CAN LOVE YOU PROPERLY OK THX XOXO**

 **~M**


	3. In Labels We Trust

**A/N: I'm soooo sorry you guys, I've had serious writer's block lately…I know there's no excuse for not updating. I thank you to all the people who have reviewed, followed and favorited so far! I was reading a few of them, and I was like "Wow there are people who actually like this version of snk wot" which is so awesome!**

 **Interested in being a beta-reader? I really need one, so if you'd like to don't hesitate to PM me!**

The first thing that Caryn realized was that she was chained to a rather uncomfortable bed.

And the pain didn't leave much to her imagination, either.

The goddess groaned once, stretching her limbs as far as she could without being fully restrained. Her vision was slightly blurred; hums and vibrations fluctuating throughout the space she was in. She heightened her senses.

Two beings were somewhat close to her position. Other than that, she couldn't tell who else was in the area. Her powers were still blocked. When her eyesight cleared, she could finally make out the room she was trapped in.

Rusty bars, dirtied floors, the smell of mold and mildew…

No doubt about it. She was in a holding cell.

"You're awake now," a deep voice rang out, causing her to whisk her eyes in that direction. "I was beginning to think that you were a lost cause."

Caryn sniffed indifferently as the man's blunt comment. If she hadn't known better, she would have responded and called him rude. But judging by his appearance, she would say that he was most likely important in the human race's eyes. His blonde hair was neatly combed to the side, not a strand left straying from his head. Sharp, electric blue eyes pierced hers, boring into her and testing her. He was of large build, much larger than her, though not nearly as strong, she assumed.

Another man was standing near where the first was sitting. He leaned against the stone walls with an apathetic expression, raven hair shaved in a military style undercut while his fringe just barely caressed a pale forehead. Steel grey eyes looked off to the side in disinterest, lithe arms crossed over each other as he refused to look at her. A tick formed in the goddesses' head. _This one seems rather…petulant._

Caryn sat up slowly, careful to not scare the humans (if that was even possible with their expressions). The covers slipped from her shoulders, exposing her torso that was covered in bandages. Her eyes widened when she realized that her clothes had been replaced with scantily-clad shorts and a bandaged shirt that covered her chest, arms and waist. Still, this was too revealing for her to be seen in.

"Where are my clothes?" she asked nervously, trying not to let the emotion seep into her tone. She had to be strong in front of potential allies. She was a leader, and leaders did not, under _any_ circumstances, choke up in front of business partners.

"I apologize," the corners of the blonde man's mouth lifted slightly. "You were injured critically. We had to confiscate them in order to give you medical care." He answered, causing her to let out an inaudible huff. Of course. Her powers were sealed, and without them she could not heal herself properly.

Lifting up her arms, Caryn scanned the cuffs on her delicate wrists. Thankfully they were made of a hollow metal, so if she needed to escape then she could without an issue. Hopefully it would not have to come to that.

"If I may ask…" she began politely, intent on keeping a civil conversation with the two men. "Where are my comrades?"

"We will tell you, but in good time." He replied stoically, his face now wiped clean of his small smile. "First, allow us to introduce ourselves." He held a hand to his chest, indicating himself. "My name is Erwin Smith. I am the 13th commander of the Scouting Legion." He waved his hand towards his partner. "This is Captain Levi Ackerman of the Special Operations Squad. He is also my Corporal."

His eyes hardened, causing her to raise an eyebrow. He was challenging her? "As of right now, you are under watch provided by the Military Police."

Caryn nodded, taking in all of the information. The snow-blonde remembered seeing a soldier with a different insignia, roses and thorns imbedded in the patch. Had that been what he called the Military Police?

"And you are?"

Caryn's eyes flickered. They had already been caught and confined, and their secrets were revealed the moment they used their powers temporarily. Could she lie? She hesitated bit. No, she couldn't lie. This man had to be smart if he was a leader of his own forces. Both of them had to be. They would see right through her if she tried to. And if they proved to be hostile, their attempts at creating an alliance with the human race would be extinguished.

"I'm sorry we had to meet under such…perilous circumstances. I am Caryn of Elysium." She bowed her head in greeting, placing her hands in her lap and trying to appear as harmless as possible. "My team and I are what you humans would call gods."

She knew that she was breaking the Elysian law by revealing her true identity to these humans. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to avoid telling them. If her mother wished for them to aid humanity with the strength they possessed, it was inevitable that they would eventually find out about their prowess.

The raven-haired man, Captain Levi, clicked his tongue. "Would you mind repeating that? I don't think I heard you correctly with all the bullshit that's invading my ears." His sarcastic tone made the goddesses' hairs on the back of her neck rise. _He_ is _rude! I am not lying, you despicable man!_ She growled in her thoughts, a glare igniting on her face.

How dare this human be so blunt and indignant? Caryn lifted a hand, clenching it slightly. Whatever power she could break through the barrier holding her back should've been enough to make him submit to her. A spark of light danced through her fingertips, zapping sounds popping in the palm of her hand. "Are you sure you want to assume something so quickly? I could prove you wrong if you'd like." She said sweetly, more and more power building the more she prodded the barrier. It was beginning to cave with the more pressure she applied to it.

 _Something isn't right. This feels different from before…as if someone is restraining me on purpose. Magic is in the works here._

"Enough." Erwin sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. "She is under confinement, Levi. I doubt she would have a reason to lie to us."

"Tch."

At the captain's dismissive remark, the goddess lowered her hand, all traces of power pulled back and sealed once again. Her glare softened when his expression relaxed. The air around him spoke volumes of his power and aloofness, telling her that he was an unsocial person who at the same time demanded respect. That was an unlikely duo.

Erwin sat up a little straighter in his chair, clasping his hands together and placing his chin atop. "Don't mind my subordinate. He's a little on edge about what he saw while engaged in battle."

"I don't think 'on edge' is the proper wording for something this crucial."

Erwin stilled, contemplating his words before nodding. "Perhaps." He gave the goddess an apologetic smile. "Forgive me. Caryn, was it?" Caryn nodded to confirm his question. "Very good. Allow me to explain your situation." The commander leaned back into his chair, crossing his legs and placing a foot on one knee. She sat up a little straighter, placing her chained hands in her lap and trying not to fidget with the material of the sheet.

"It has come to our attentions, before now, that you were not human. At least, not entirely." His eyes held some type of nostalgia when he spoke. "When Levi recovered you and your…comrades," he cleared his throat, not sure what to call the rest of the squad that he took in. So, the stubborn man next to him had been the one to save her? _Interesting_ , she thought begrudgingly. "All of you were in critical condition. We had our best medics clean you up and bandage you even when you showed signs of amazing recuperation. That was the second sign that told us you were inhuman. Your healing is extraordinary compared to us."

The blonde's ears perked up. Huh. Maybe not _all_ of her energy was sealed away, then? She hoped not. The longer they were sealed, the harder it would be to prove to the human race that she was a powerful ally that they could rely on in battle.

Erwin continued, though his voice sounded tired this time. "Unfortunately, capturing you does not come without a price." His eyes hardened, a dangerous glint that told her that he meant business. "I need to know the sole reason as to why you are here, why you have come to us, and why you helped us. Just as a confirmation, if you will." 

Caryn smirked knowingly. "I take it that you've already talked to my subordinates."

"Indeed I have."

"And pray tell, commander," she used his title with the upmost respect. He was a leader, human or not, and he deserved credibility. She would not downgrade him for his species. "What will happen to me should I tell you what you want to know?"

Erwin's eyebrows shot up, momentarily surprised at the coyness in her voice. He wasn't expecting her to be so straightforward, more than likely expecting her to deny telling them anything as a right. He quickly recovered. "Either way, you are to be tried in court." Caryn frowned. Tried? What was her crime? "Our superiors have seen you as a threat to humanity, sent to aid the titans and destroy us with your undoubtedly strong abilities. They also think you are an accomplice to the fall of Wall Maria, along with the suspect Eren Yeager, whom has already been tried and brought under Captain Levi's care for further evaluation."

Caryn bit her lip. She knew in the very beginning that it would be difficult to gain their trust, but she hadn't suspected that they would jail her for being foreign. But at the same time, she couldn't blame them. A couple of unknown individuals coming into play on top of a possible titan-shifting traitor, as well as the monsters themselves? That was a lot to handle for anyone. Sighing, she lifted her hands to her temples and rubbed gently.

"I understand that you all would feel threatened, really I do." She began slowly, words flowing effortlessly out of her mouth. She was going to have to negotiate for her freedom as well as her team, and by the looks of things, it wasn't going to be easy. The two men listened quietly, and she took that as initiative to continue. "But I can assure you that was never our intent. We are from a world that is tranquil and just; you see, my ancestors founded the human race." Her smile was nostalgic, hints of melancholy also evident in her eyes.

"It wouldn't be right for us to let you fend for yourselves, so naturally we have been watching you and guiding you through tough times over the years. It was only until recently that we had to put an effort into aiding you. There has never been a severe situation such as this one before, with the enormous monsters called titans…" she closed her eyes briefly, trailing off.

"Say," she felt the irritation rolling off the smaller male of the two in waves. It was strong, palpable. "If you had intended to 'watch over' us," he enunciated this, "then why has it taken you so damn long to arrive? It's been over a hundred years. You're a little late, _goddess."_

Caryn flinched at his harshness. The way he had said that was implying that he didn't believe her to be of powerful blood. And even after she had shown him some of her technique? She frowned. "Time passes differently in Elysium." She explained, holding up three fingers. "We aren't _exactly_ sure how different, but we have come to a sort of conclusion that for every three years that passes on Earth, about a week passes on Elysium." She placed a finger on her lip in thought.

"Then again, the time period changes critically. It's a little strange. On Elysium, only a week had passed since we had heard of the first occurrence of titans. And just now, you said that it has been nearly one-hundred years since then, am I not wrong?"

"Correct." Erwin answered for his subordinate.

Caryn nodded, her blonde locks falling over her shoulders. "Interesting. When the titans had destroyed this wall just recently, we had left immediately. The time between our worlds….it never stays the same. So then again, we are never completely correct."

There were too many theories for them to be right.

"I see." Erwin thought for a second, eyes shifting elsewhere before returning on her half-prone form. "If you really are here to assist us, I have a few obligations that I wish for you to follow."

"Name them."

"First, I want all of you to swear that your actions are truly positive towards us." He held up one finger. "Second," he held up another. "You are to tell the truth during your trial. We will be able to tell when you are lying."

 _Well, that much was obvious from the beginning._ She thought.

"Very well." She agreed easily, waving a hand in continuation. "Anything else?"

"For the third condition…" he held up a third and final finger, eyes sharply serious. "Should we acquire custody of you and your comrades, you will swear your allegiance to the Survey Corps."

The goddesses' eyebrows shot up in surprise. Hadn't she already proven enough that her loyalties would not sway? She searched his eyes for some type of catch, anything that would be remotely suspicious.

She could find nothing.

 _This man…_ she trailed off, unease creeping its way onto her features. _Keep negotiating._ She told herself, trying not to chew a hole through her cheek. He was almost too smart to be human. And he fit his position as commander very, _very_ well.

"…You have my word."

The blonde man's mouth twitched. "Excellent. Then that should—"

"But," she cut him off, a shadow falling across her eyes as she glared, amethyst flashing dangerously. "I demand to be able to stay with my team. I will not allow myself to be separated from them again."

Erwin cleared his throat, seemingly unsurprised by her declaration. This left the goddess relieved, already knowing what he would say. "If that is what you wish. Depending on your abilities, I shall let you create your own squad." His eyes flickered towards the Corporal. "Until then, you will be put under Captain Levi's watch."

"Why am I not surprised that you decided that?" Levi gave an exasperated sigh, reaching up to tighten what looked to be a cravat around his neck.

Caryn had expected much. She wouldn't be free to do as she pleased for a little while, but that was alright with her. As long as she didn't continue to play the part of prisoner. She watched with weary eyes as the ravenette made his way towards the cell, gripping one of the bars in the process while peering at her with an apathetic expression.

"How do you suppose I go about watching four other people besides Yeager?" Levi asked, annoyance lacing his tone as he glanced back at Erwin.

"Are you suggesting that this task will be too difficult for you?"

"I didn't say that, did I?" He glared half-heartedly. Caryn rolled her eyes at their bickering. There was no reason for them to worry about her or the other goddesses. They were well-behaved, trained warriors.

"You don't have to worry about us too much," Caryn voiced her thoughts, wearing an amused smile. "My team does well under authority. Humanity's victory is just as important to us as it is to you."

Levi scoffed, turning his head while Erwin spoke. "I'm glad that you feel this way." For the first time, he gave her a genuine smile. It was warm and it showed how pleased he was with her quick devotion to them. "I look forward to working with you, Miss Caryn."

"Please, just Caryn is fine, commander." She returned his smile with a grin. She had a feeling that they would get along smoothly despite his standoffish ways. With the commander, at least. She wasn't sure about the smaller man, but she hoped he would be lenient with her basic knowledge of protocol on Earth. She would have to look past the fact that he was a rude, biased human being.

Caryn's gaze flickered downward to her chains. "So…" she started sheepishly. "When shall these chains come off?"

They had finally unbound her from the accursed wall later that evening.

Caryn rubbed her wrists gently, her skin marred red from wearing the cuffs for a short time. Surprisingly, she could see the stains fading away.

She was finally beginning to regain her powers.

She sighed, flexing her fingers to fix the strain in her knuckles. She could feel the faintest amount of power building inside her, the feeling soothing after so long without so much as a spark evident.

 _Perhaps I should have zapped those pests who couldn't keep their hands to themselves,_ she grumbled mentally, referring to the strangers who had been guarding her outside her cell. _Burn that little Pegasus insignia right off their backs._

Caryn took note of her still-revealing outfit. Her wounds were fully healed, so she wouldn't need the bandages anymore. She still had places of dirt and grime here and there, causing her to make a displeased face.

She stood up from her perch on the blanket, trudging over to the front of the cell where the guards stood on either side. They were invested in some type of gossip that she could care less about. Humans didn't get along very well, anyway.

"Excuse me," she called to gather their attention, gripping the cell bars. "Could I have some type of washcloth or something to clean my skin off with? If I'm to be tried in court, I would at least like to look presentable."

One of the guards, who was giving her a fierce glare, turned away from the conversation and snapped at her. "We don't give _monsters_ special treatment," he looked down at her with judgmental eyes. "Go sit your ass back down and wait patiently for your trial. You should be grateful that we even unchained you."

 _My, my… humans have rather nasty temperaments, don't they?_

"You poor beings…I really do pity you." She responded with fake sympathy, whereas she actually felt disgusted at the way they viewed others who weren't exactly like them.

The other guard who was much bulkier than his counterpart stuttered dumbly, tripping over his words. He edged himself closer to the goddess, giving off a threatening aura that did nothing to startle her. "What did you say, scum?!" he growled.

"You humans always put negative labels on things you don't understand because you're too afraid to invest yourselves in the idea of research." She added, giving them a sarcastic smirk. The guards tensed, and Caryn vaguely wondered if it was because the nerves connecting to their brains detached themselves one by one at her statement.

"You know nothing about me, and yet you claim I am a monster simply because you can't decide whether I am a threat or not to you. "

She knew she shouldn't have taunted them. This only proved to make the situation more difficult than it already was. And sometimes, provoking the antagonized soldiers led to violent affairs.

The first guard trembled with anger, snatching the bars just above where her hands were and invading her personal space. His face closed in, inches away from hers. She wrinkled her nose at the rancid smell of his breath. "You better shut the hell up right now," he snarled, his brown eyes feral. "Before I come in there and shut it for—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Caryn acted and quickly sent an immense heat wave from her palms to the cell bars. They began to glow red with heat, sizzling the guards hands and causing him to rip his hands from the bars. He let out a cowardly cry, waving his burned hands around while they cooled.

"You bitch! You damned bitch!" he stopped waving his hands for a second, taking a closer look at his hands. They had already begun to swell and blister. "Open the cell, Dren." He ordered his partner, who stood dumbfounded off to the side. He had seen the whole incident take place, but couldn't move after seeing what Caryn had accomplished.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot! Give me the keys." He went to snatch the keys from his counterpart's side, only to be stopped when an extra hand clamped down on his wrist. "Wha—"his face drained itself of all color when he saw who the culprit was.

"You're going to catch shit if you don't close your mouth, soldier."

Both men scrambled away from the smaller man, side-by-side as they saluted him with their fists over their hearts. "Corporal!" they addressed him in unison. Caryn took a step back from the bars, a bit of contempt displayed at the appearance of Levi.

Levi looked past the soldiers at Caryn, not acknowledging the look she gave him. His stance gave off an uncaring vibe, returning his gaze to the two men. "What is going on here?" He asked. "And answer honestly. I don't have time to listen to your sob stories." His voice held no room for negotiation.

The soldiers looked at each other nervously, obviously afraid of what was to come had they answered truthfully. That only made the goddess more amused. They were bound to give a sob story whether they didn't want to or not.

"S-She burned me, sir!" the smaller guard stuttered, waving an accusing hand over at the cell. He stuck out his hands, showing them to the raven-haired captain. "Take a look—Huh…?"

What was _supposed_ to be burned flesh was smooth, healthy skin as he held his hands palm-up. His expression morphed into one of horror, his counterparts face sharing a similar look. Caryn had to suppress a smile as she overlooked the scene.

"Tch." Levi scoffed. "Crying over a burn that isn't even there? Pathetic. You Military Police soldiers need some toughening up, you're all brats."

For once, the goddess had to agree with the corporal. She hadn't burned the man to the point where he would not be able to use his hands after. It wasn't even hot enough to injure a human infant.

 _Okay, perhaps I'm exaggerating. But what can I say? Gods are not nearly as weak as humans are. And now I'm being a bit rude._

"Excuse me, _sir_." The larger guard annunciated, growling out the words. He wasn't taking kindly to the insults from the ravenette. "With all due respect, you don't have the right to talk to us that way. You may be our superior because of your rank, but you're not even in the same regiment."

"Shut up, you idiot!" his partner whispered harshly, still in his salute. But he paid him no attention as his gaze stayed on Levi.

When he finished his sentence, the atmosphere had thickened with dangerous tension that was coming off in waves from Levi. He kept his composure, for the most part. The guard took this as initiative to keep talking. Caryn was stunned at his next words.

"I refuse to take orders from a short-stack," he sneered.

She had barely registered how fast Levi moved.

Within seconds, the guard was on the floor, the captain's arm around his neck and cutting off his airways. He must have been punched, because his upper lip and part of his nose were sliced open, bleeding freely down his chin. Caryn's eyes widened a fraction, her hand unconsciously going up to touch her lips in shock. His speed was incredible for a human.

The guard she had burned scurried away, his back pressing against the bars of the cell as he comprehended what had happened in his fickle mind.

"You have a big mouth. Do you talk to all of your superiors that way?"

The behemoth responded with a gurgling sound in the back of his throat, his face turning an unhealthy blue color as Levi continued to choke him. The smaller soldier began to panic, his own face paling when he tried to figure out how he would stop the ravenette from killing his co-guard.

"Have mercy, Captain Levi!" his plead spilled out of his mouth, the situation almost comical when he fell to his knees and clasped his hands as if in prayer. "He is young and inexperienced; he has not been a soldier long. I am at fault!"

Caryn's eyes softened. Perhaps this soldier did have some loyalty, after all? She had wanted them to learn their lesson, that much was true. But she couldn't let Levi kill the soldier for speaking out of turn. There were other punishments fitting for insubordination. She would know.

"You want mercy?" Levi's eyebrow twitched, his glare fiercer then before. "Then you shouldn't have become a soldier. We're at war, and the only thing you MP pigs do is twiddle your thumbs and beg for safety in times of crisis. You disgust me."

With those words, he finally released the guard. He was sent sprawling towards his partner, grasping his throat and coughing harshly as he tried to gulp in the sweet particles of air. Caryn let out a breath she had held in. Her hands went to grasp the hem of her shorts. If she had thought the corporal was strict before, she had no doubt now. This man was frightening in his own way and it took most of her pride to admit that.

"If you have nothing else to complain about, then I suggest you get the fuck out of here." He jerked his head towards the end of the hallway. "Send some more respectful guards. I don't want to have to punish someone else today."

The smaller guard nodded, mute as he helped his partner to his feet and pushed him in the direction of the exit. He sent Caryn one last scathing look before disappearing, sending her a clear message. He wouldn't let her get away with what she had done.

 _How unnerving._ She thought sarcastically.

"Damn bastard got his filth all over my sleeve," Levi muttered to himself as he stared angrily at his forearm, tiny blood droplets standing out on the tan military jacket he wore. He reached into one of his pockets, taking out a white cloth to scrub away the rustic liquid.

"Um…"

Caryn spoke hesitantly, taking another step towards the front of the cell and looking enviously at the cloth. She had desperately wanted to clean herself the manual way. Levi looked up from his task, the air around him still very much annoyed, but calmer than before.

"You didn't have to punish him as severely as you did." She stated softly, arms covering her middle. Thankfully he didn't point out her immodesty. She would have been much more insecure, considering she was half-naked in front of a man no less.

"You think that was severe punishment? That was a slap on the wrist compared to what I could have done to him." He responded with a bit of malice for the guards. Thankfully, it was not directed at her.

Caryn tensed, squeezing her arms tighter around herself. "You mean you would have killed him without remorse?" she gasped, anger boiling in the pit of her stomach. They had never given a soldier an ultimatum like that in Elysian, _especially_ not with her team. She would never dream of doing something so horrible to them despite their actions sometimes.

"Don't assume things so quickly. Unnecessary death is pointless to me." He drawled, and the anger she had felt dimmed a bit. He brought himself closer to the bars, leaning in closely to her face.

 _Do none of these humans know a thing about personal space?_

"You burned him. Why?"

"Ah, so you _did_ believe him." Caryn leaned away from him. She vaguely caught his scent; the spell of citrus and pine were evident, but something more prominent was the smell of soap wafting off of him. Despite his line of work, he was very clean.

"I doubt what he was telling me was a lie." He reached his hand up and ghosted it over the bars, careful not to touch them. "I can feel the heat coming from the metal. Unless you all sat here for hours rubbing your hands on the bars, there is no way they could have become this hot within seconds."

"You're very perceptive, corporal. I applaud you."

"I wasn't looking for your approval." He snapped.

"And neither was I. We think alike, don't we?" Caryn responded icily, her eyes flashing dangerously in warning. She somewhat respected the man, but his attitude was unbelievably rude. She had never met someone which such a ruthless behavior, besides the guards.

"Now I see why there was such a problem in the first place," Levi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest and standing aloofly. "Listen here, you little shit. You're going to be under my supervision until the higher ups deem fit, that is, if they don't kill you first. If you hadn't already guessed, they don't take very kindly to aliens. Your best bet is to bite your tongue and control your actions until you're released."

He shot forward like a viper, intimidating the goddess and causing her to take a small step back. His piercing grey eyes studied her face for signs of refusal. "I don't allow bad behavior from my subordinates. I believe pain is the best form of punishment when teaching someone a lesson. Let this be a warning to you _and_ your friends."

"Is that all you came here to say?"

For a second, he looked a bit surprised before schooling his features back to a blank mask. Caryn turned her back on him, returning to her uncomfortable prisoner's bed and taking a seat. She placed her hands in her lap, looking down on them.

"I have said it once, and I will say it again, Captain Levi." She looked up from her spot, gazing directly into his eyes. "That never has been, and never will be our intent. I understand your unease with us showing up from goddess knows where. Honestly, I do. But I swear to you, as a goddess and as a fellow soldier, we want nothing more than to help you so that you may someday live a safe, worry-free life."

She placed a palm over her chest, directly over her heart as she bowed her head to him. "Believe me when I say this. I do not ask anything more of you."

It was quiet as she kept her eyes closed and her head reclined. For what seemed like an eternity, the two remained silent and their forms unmoving. Suddenly, she heard the sound of keys jangling and a rusted entrance being pushed open.

And then something soft hit the side of her head.

Opening her eyes, she looked to see what the object had been. There on the mattress was yet another white cloth, similar to the one Levi had used to clean his sleeve off. She turned her head to see Levi's retreating form, exiting the cell as fast as he had entered. He did not turn around to acknowledge her questioning expression.

"Clean yourself up. Remaining that dirty is unsanitary." He ordered briskly.

Her expression remained the same even when he had vanished down the way he had originally came.

 **Yes, yes, and yes!**

 **So happy, I'm finished with school and have the whole entire summer to write! Well, when I'm not working. Oh well.**

 **In the beginning this was supposed to be longer, but considering I wanted to cover some things, I had shortened it a bit. Next chapter, the team will be reunited and it will take place during their trial.**

 **And if any of you are wondering if Caryn will get the shit beaten out of her like Eren did, I have yet to decide. I'm leaning more towards yes, because I feel like it proves just how serious the whole alienation situation really is, especially if this was an actual occurrence. Most likely, the punishment won't be nearly as harsh. Or maybe it will be worse. Huehuehuehe~**

 **As always, review, favorite and follow! This all keeps me going, honestly it does!**

 **Thanks for reading,**

 **~M**


	4. Fight for What You Believe In

**A/N: Hello, my lovelies!**

 **So, this is probably going to be my favorite chapter to write. So much suspense coming up~ And Caryn will finally be reunited with her team! I just love the three other OC's I created. They fit this story perfectly.**

 **I started writing this at 3 a.m. so if there is any errors, please excuse me. This story is unbeta'd. Still looking for a beta reader, by the way! If you're interested PLEASE let me know. I could really use the extra help.**

 **Carry on~**

The next morning, Caryn had been dragged out of her cell by two very different soldiers who were quieter than the first two, but just as rude and inconsiderate.

But it was well worth it.

They had walked for some time, taking lefts and rights down the rusted corridors before heading up a flight of stairs that looked like they led to a much cleaner area. As she was walking, Caryn had felt her mind divide into three sections—meaning that her team was close. Very close. Their mental links had slowly began to open up again, repairing reluctantly.

She continued to follow the guards, trudging along and tugging on the new clothing she had received ever so slightly. The white pants and light blue blouse they had given her were starting to shift uncomfortably against her skin, causing an itching sensation to occur. She faltered here and there, eager to get this trial over with and obtain her regular clothing.

Caryn felt a rough shove from behind her, sending her forward a couple of steps. "No one told you to stop, keep moving." A burly woman behind her snarled, gripping her arm tightly while pulling her along.

 _What the hell is it with humans and manhandling?!_

Cursing in her mind, she decided that this was the last straw. She reared back, ripping her arm out of the soldier's grasp and scowling dangerously at her. The commotion caused the soldiers in front of her to stop as well.

"If you do not refrain from touching me, I will burn your hands from your despicable body." Caryn warned, heat fluctuating off of her body threateningly. The woman growled, pulling her weapon from her back and pointing it at the goddess. The rest of the soldiers followed suit.

"How about I just shoot you? I'd be doing the court a favor," she spat, flicking the knob on the end of her gun and aiming at Caryn's head. There were now four guns pointed at her, but the goddess was not in the least bit fazed. She would be able to escape within the blink of an eye, if the situations called for it.

"Now now," a voice interrupted, amusement evident in the cheerful tone. "Let's not be so hasty, everyone. Can't we all just get along?"

Caryn grinned widely, sensing five other signatures making their way towards her group. Three of them felt extremely familiar. Her mind fluctuated, gripping the others in an almost welcoming embrace.

 _Leader!_

 _Nice to see a familiar face after so long._

 _Hello, Caryn._

"I'm glad to see you all are okay." Caryn said in relief, eyes on her three teammates that she hadn't seen in more than forty-eight hours. There were two others with them, both soldiers that wore jackets with the same insignia as Erwin and Levi. More scouting legion soldiers, one woman and one man.

The female was tall, with brown hair strung into a high ponytail with thick glasses adorning her face. She bore a Cheshire grin, her eyes lit with interest as she gazed at Caryn. The male towered at least half a foot over everyone, his face stoic. His blonde hair was parted in two sections to frame his face, stubble lining his jaw and beneath his nose. His nose twitched ever so slightly, as if testing the scent of the air.

In all, they were a rather interesting duo.

"Squad leader Hanji, squad leader Mike." The hostile soldier nodded in respect, only taking her sight of off Caryn to stare warily at the three other goddesses. Guns were still pointed at her, despite the interruption.

"Lieutenant Walsh," the woman named Hanji nodded back, bowing her head dramatically. Her expression grew a bit serious. "You and your comrades can stand down, now. They mean you no harm."

It was an order, not a suggestion. Walsh could detect the hint, grumbling in defeat and lowering her weapon slowly. The others followed suit.

 _Smart move. I would have liked to teach them a thing or two, though._ Iris spat mentally, and Caryn hummed in agreement.

 _These humans are rather troublesome, but…._ she trailed off. _Have they filled you in on what is to happen to us?_

 _Vaguely, but we understand what they want._ Sione responded. _I figure that these Military Police folk have a good argument to bind us to them, as well._

 _Most likely. Which is why we had better hope for the best._

"Fabulous! We shall get going, then." Hanji cheered, turning on her heel and heading down the hall with Mike right behind her. Caryn followed quietly, intent on being led by these people instead of the hostile soldiers who had tried to shoot her.

A flash of brown passed in front of her before she felt arms as tight as steel enclose around her waist. Cylla wailed, her tears soaking through the light blouse she was wearing. "Leaderrrrrrrr!" she dragged, rubbing her cheek on Caryn's shoulder. The goddess wrapped her arms around the smaller female, rolling her eyes at her childlike display. She had rarely ever acted like this.

"Cylla, now is not the time to act like this." She murmured into the younger goddesses' ear, rubbing her back as she sobbed hysterically. She feared that they would be in even more trouble if they stalled any longer.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't save you!" she cried, clutching her even harder. Her grip was starting to become painful. "You told me to heal Iris, and Sione was still stuck inside that cottage…and I watched you almost get eaten! I panicked, I-I didn't know—"

Another pair of arms wrapped around the duo. "It wasn't your fault, Cyl. You couldn't help everyone, your hands were full." Iris leaned her head onto Caryn's, the height difference irritating to her as she was the second tallest on the team. "If you hadn't come to me when you did, I would have surely died."

Cylla's cries started dying down, her sniffles a little quieter. "But I—"

"It was out of your control." Sione interrupted, standing less than a foot away. It was understandable that she did not join the embrace; she did not like to be touched. She sounded hesitant, as if she didn't want to comfort the young goddess. They didn't get along very well, so Caryn wasn't surprised. But in the end, they were a team. Being together was inevitable.

"Sione is right, Cylla." Caryn soothed gently, smoothing down the brunette's tangled curls. They all needed a thorough bath, and soon. "There was only so much that you could do for the three of us. Cease the flow of your tears. We cannot completely rejoice until this ordeal is solved. Am I understood?"

"Understood." They all spoke in unison, not a hint of hesitation in their tones. The soldiers around them were still, a bit unsure how to diffuse the moment. Hanji scratched behind her ear sheepishly.

"Sorry to interrupt but….we have to get you guys to the courtroom now." She said, sweeping hand out in front of her. Sure enough, down the hall was a set of double doors that surely led to said courtroom. "If you would follow us, please." She winked, continuing down the hall.

"You heard her." Caryn told them, pulling out of the hug and patting her subordinate's shoulders. "Time to go." She followed the two soldiers, everyone else following suit. _And remember, leave the negotiations to me. These humans don't like what they don't understand, and right now we are what they don't understand._

 _That much is obvious. I couldn't even say anything without getting called an 'alien' or a 'monster', the nerve of some people!_ Cylla cried mentally.

They stopped in front of the doors, and Walsh said a few words to the soldiers occupying them before they opened.

 _This will change the way they see us, and it we will either leave a good or bad impression. Stay calm._

"Don't forget to chain them." The guards snarked, pushing them in one by one.

The room was large, both sides holding stands for observers and soldiers alike. In the front of the courtroom was a large stand with two sides of smaller stands that seated what looked like council members. The large stand held no one at present, meaning that person had yet to make an appearance.

The murmurs of the crowd died down to a level of whispers, the mentioning of the goddesses being passed back and forth between conversations. Caryn felt her wrists being chained, a feeling that she greatly disliked as she was dragged forward to four steel poles. The guard kicked her thighs, making her tumble forward to kneel on the floor. Despite her growing anger, she held it down. It would do no good to act recklessly.

Her chains were lifted up over her head, bending her arms at an odd angle that would have been uncomfortable were she not double jointed. The guard placed the chains over and around the pole, restraining her movement. She could lean forward with her arms behind her back, but not much.

When her team was also restrained, the guards stepped back and waited.

A few minutes ticked by without interference. Curiously, she tilted her head to the side to look at the stands. A pair of emerald eyes caught hers, stunned that she was actually looked in their direction. It was the boy from before. Eren was his name, she believed. His face was a bit bruised, a few cuts here and there that were covered with Band-Aids. He looked as if he was beaten, angering the goddess even more.

Humans were complex beings.

She gave the brunette a small smile, making him blink in question. She didn't want to get him into any more trouble than he had been, so she narrowed her way into his mind and sent him a simple thought.

 _Your eyes are a lovely shade of green._

His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, disbelieving of the thoughts flowing in his mind. It wasn't difficult to send her thoughts to others; she just didn't normally do it, unless it was to her team.

 _I hope we can become friends if we are sent to the Survey Corps._

Eren's mouth dropped open in shock when he finally registered there was someone in deed talking to him mentally. A girl with chin-length black hair leaned over, peering into his face to see if he was alright. He spoke rapidly to her, telling her about the voice he had heard in his head. It was quite comical, despite the situation. Caryn chuckled, turning forward once again and investing herself back into the task at hand.

"All rise for the arrival of chief-in-command, Sir Darius Zackly!" an advisor called out next to the podium, and the crowds obliged. A door next to the podiums opened, and a graying man stepped through, composedly making his way to his seat. Once he was seated, the advisor gave the go ahead for everyone to sit back down.

Zackly's eyes flowed over the goddesses kneeling before him, having yet to break the silence. Caryn remained unfazed, strong-willed as he caught her eyes. Her expression made his eye twitch in the slightest. She lifted a brow, if only just barely.

 _Is he…amused? Or am I seeing things differently?_

"I will be the one monitoring this trial session," he spoke clearly so that everyone could hear his voice as it carried. "If anyone has any objections on this matter, please s—"

"MORE DEMONS THAT WE DO NOT NEED TO RECEIVE IN OUR MILITARY!"

A bald man with eyes sunken so far deep into his skull that he looked like a skeleton interrupted harshly, his glare full of hate as he looked at them.

Caryn did not even turn her head to look at him, only doing so out of the corner of her eye. This man was obviously religious, and she still would have been able to tell were he not wearing chapel robes and various metal crests.

Zackly, however, was not having any of it. He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation, and the blonde had almost felt sorry for him. He seemed to loathe this more than she did. "Pastor Nick, I refuse to hear your blasphemous outbursts for a second time. Please refrain from doing so."

" _DO YOU NOT SEE HOW THEY ARE MANIPULATING YOU WITH THEIR MINDS?"_ he screeched, speaking so fast that spit flew out of his mouth. Caryn wanted to recoil in disgust. She could vaguely hear the other goddesses' disgust in the back of her mind. " _SEND THEM TO THE MILITARY POLICE AND BE DONE WITH—"_

" _Enough,_ Pastor." Zackly said firmly, his tone resolute. "If you continue to speak out I will have you removed."

The Pastor, seemingly finding his bearings, sat down with an audible huff. His qualms about removing the females would have to stay silent despite how upset he was on the matter.

Zackly nodded, turning back to the goddesses. "If there will be no more interruptions," he paused, eyes scanning the room quickly. "Very well. I will hear the Military Police's testimony now. Nile Dok, if you would."

"Of course, sir." An older man with a cropped military cut stood, and Caryn noticed that he was wearing the unicorn insignia like the soldiers who had guarded her. He gave off an air of arrogance that signified his beliefs of victory.

 _I already don't like this man,_ she stated bluntly, and the others couldn't help but agree.

"The Military Police believes that these four imposters shall be collected and confined in our laboratories for further investigation. We are not sure exactly what they are capable of, and we fear that they share a mutual alliance with the Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan in hopes to breach the walls and seal humanity's fate for the worst." He flipped through his notes, casting a few disgruntled glances at the goddesses.

"They claim to be "goddesses", but how are we to know that this is just a peculiar way of suggesting that they are titan shifters as well as the last one, Eren Yeager? We have decided that if they do indeed pose a threat to us, we shall discard of them as quickly as possible. That will be all." Dok sent them one last scathing glance before retaining his seat.

Caryn's fringe covered her eyes, casting a dangerous shadow over he face as she listened to the nonsense Nile Dok was spewing. Them, titans? Surely they didn't believe such a thing after what they had seen them do? They hadn't even shifted, for goddesses' sake!

 _Caryn, say something._ Sione urged, her own anger tinting the edges of her voice. _If you're going to say something, now is a good time._

 _Gladly._

"If I may be bold enough to speak, Sir Zackly." She lifted her head to look at him above the podium, her posture indicating that she was asking for permission politely.

Murmurs broke out once again when she had asked, and Zackly raised a hand to silence them. "You may, child."

 _If only you knew how much older I am, you poor soul._ She snickered to herself.

"Thank you." She bowed her head respectfully, introducing herself. "My name is Caryn Elysium, and I am the first born Princess of the Elysian bloodline and third in line for the throne in my home kingdom, Elysium." Some people had gasped when she had declared herself as royalty, their whispers full of shock and disbelief. "I am followed by my subordinates Sione Malfas; my second-in-command." She tilted her head to the platinum-haired goddess, who bowed her head slightly.

"Iris Flenvayer; my third-in-command," Iris copied Sione's gesture, but instead her expression was much more light and welcoming.

"And last, Cylla Heathsend, my fourth-in-command." Cylla gave a curt nod, distrust evident in her brown orbs. That would prove to be a problem for the group.

"We have all come here, as a team, to offer our services in defeating your enemies, the titans. We do not pose a threat to you, and if we have I am deeply sorry for giving you false impressions of us. I assure you, we do not 'shift' or 'turn' into titans. We merely wish to aid you because we share a common enemy."

More whispers, this time appalled at her announcement. Zackly leaned back in his chair, his full attention on the goddess. He listened with interest, something that Caryn could tell irritated the Military Police commander.

"And I suppose you have some sort of proof that you'd be an important asset to us? One would be a fool to blindly accept your offer without seeing the extent of your declaration." He chided, drumming his finger on the podium in front of him.

 _Interesting. Seems like he wants to challenge us._ Caryn sent her thoughts to the others, amusement lacing her tone. _With the way things are going, I doubt the commander or the corporal will have to step in to aid us._

 _I say we accept said challenge._ Iris offered cheerfully, and Caryn could imagine the black-haired goddesses' Cheshire grin.

She paused for a moment. Why not accept the challenge? It wasn't as if she had a superiority complex over the humans, but she _did_ want to prove to them that they were just as capable of killing titans, if not more so than them.

 _We shall, but follow my lead and try not to appear hostile._

Caryn beamed at the commander-in-chief. "I do. Allow me to show you."

As soon as she spoke, multiple things happened in a flurry of movement.

With a burst of strength, Caryn pulled away from the pole and the chains holding her back, effectively bending the iron and pulling them apart with a sharp snap. Gasps and shouts rang out through the room as her teammates copied her, standing from their positions and stretching their limbs from the previous soreness.

The guards in the rooms readied their guns, pointing them at the seemingly hostile goddesses in fear of their own safety. Nile had raised a hand, commanding his soldiers to fire when ready. This, however, did not work.

"Strip them of their weapons and restrain them." Caryn ordered the goddesses, posture straight with hands behind her back. Her expression was left blank and calculating as Sione waved a hand, the guns flying out of the armed soldier's grips and into the middle of the courtroom. Then there bodies were held still, despite the struggle that they put on. They could not move no matter how much energy they put into it.

A hush fell over the room, the amazement clear on every individual's face as they were left speechless at the situation. Even Nile struggled to find words, the fear he felt rolling off of him in waves. He sputtered helplessly, pointing a finger at them.

"W-What have you done?!" he asked demandingly. Zackly's expression was one of awe as he continued to look at the blonde goddess. Caryn smiled knowingly, not moving a muscle.

"They are fine. We only kept them from putting anyone in immediate danger. Should they have shot at us, it would have affected others in the room as well." A shadow fell over her face as her look suddenly turned to one of malice. "You did not even realize the consequences of your actions had they went through with your orders. Selfishness is _very_ unbecoming of a leader."

Zackly struck his mallet down once, twice, despite the room being utterly quiet. "Thank you for that prime example. I'm sure everyone understands now that you would be of great use to us. You may release them from your hold now."

"Of course, sir."

Caryn looked over her shoulder, nodding at Sione for confirmation. The silver-haired goddess rolled her eyes, waving her hand once more. The soldiers under the hold had fell forward, some shocked at the power they had been under and others checking themselves for injuries.

"Very good." The older man nodded suite, placing his hands in front of him. He looked down at Nile, who was shaking with suppressed rage. "Dok. There are better ways to deal with situations such as these, drawing weapons on them could have had the opposite effect and for that I do not commend you."

"Forgive me, sir." He grit his teeth as he replied, clenching his fists as he glared at the goddesses. Caryn did not return his gesture. In fact, she did the exact opposite; she smiled. Not a polite smile, but a mocking one instead. Seeing this made the man's cheeks turn purple in fury.

"Now that we have settled down a bit, I would like to give the verdict, as is my right."

At this, everyone went quiet. No sounds could be heard, even with Caryn's sensitive hearing as she looked up at Darius expectantly. Her heart hammered in her chest; prepared for the worse. Had they chosen to hand them over to the Military Police, she would have to be quick in order to make her escape. She refused to be treated as a test subject and she refused to allow her comrades the same fate.

"You four have proven something with what little power you have shown here today," he began steadily. "Though I have not seen the full extent of your strength, I know that it would be wrong of me to assume that it does not exceed this point otherwise. I'm sure we are all curious to see how you would fare outside the walls with proper knowledge and training. Which is why I am going to put you in the Scouting Legion's custody."

When he finished, the quiet was broken once again with cries of hope, shock, and outrage. A relieved smile broke out onto Caryn's face, thanking the gods that her and her team would not have to resort to violence against the humans.

"Sir, you must reconsider!" Nile pleaded, eyes wide with fear and hatred. It was easy to tell that he had wanted them gone as soon as they had arrived. "These specimen, they're—"

Zackly pounded his mallet down a few times, more roughly than before. "Enough." He ordered firmly, irritation lacing his tone. He was not amused at the constant interruptions. "My decision will remain absolute." The uproar dimmed as he continued. "As much as it pains me to admit so, we cannot afford to let you go. If you are truly as helpful as you say you can be, then we will need all of your power in the front lines. Granted, I will have you monitored, and I will have reports sent to me every week on your progress. Your fate will be the same as Yeager's shall you fail to show improvement."

His eyes trailed over to the spot where Erwin was sitting. "And I suppose that you already know who will be monitoring them?"

Erwin stood, bowing his head a bit before replying. "Yes. I believe that Caryn and Levi already have a mutual understanding with each other."

"And that is?"

"That Caryn and her fellow goddesses will swear allegiance to him, just as Yeager has." He answered, not a hint of hesitation in his voice.

Zackly hummed, looking at said corporal with interest. "Are you quite positive that you will be able to handle five newcomers along with your squad?"

 _When will they get it through their thick heads that we won't disobey them?_ Iris spat through their connection. Caryn hushed her, a small smile playing on her lips.

 _Like I have said before; humans are afraid of what they do not understand. Their doubt is a defense mechanism that they use as a last resort. Even if we want to, we cannot blame them for being afraid. At least, not fully._

Levi sighed, crossing his arms over his chest while trying to contain his annoyance. "Do you doubt my abilities to handle them all? That's a bit offensive." He drawled.

"This is a large job that even you would have trouble with. These are inhuman beings that we are talking about." Zackly gestured to the four of them. It wasn't meant to be a rude one. Instead, he was trying to be rational.

"I'm not worried about it. Pixi-face speaks for them all, and I'm sure if I took her down if the time called for it her friends would know they didn't stand a chance."

 _Pixi-face?_ Caryn echoed, insulted and embarrassed at the nickname.

"Like hell we wouldn't." Sione snarled, the unusually quiet goddess glaring daggers at the smaller male.

"Quiet." Caryn ordered her, tone leaving no room for discussion. She stared with a watchful eye as the silverette closed her mouth in a firm, bland line once again.

Levi waved a hand in their direction. "See what I mean? I'm perfectly capable of handling these brats. I doubt they'd try an act out against their allegiance."

"I believe you." Zackly promised. "But if I do not see enough progress within the second week, I will be instructing Hanji to take two of them into her care. You will have to teach them three years' worth of training in a month-and-a-half, and I don't think it will be easy. But we will see what the future holds."

He struck his mallet down once, twice onto the podium. "With this, I declare the court adjourned. The goddesses will be put under Survey Corps care immediately." And with that, he arose from his seat and left the room.

People began to stand, filing out in an orderly fashion. Caryn watched with amusement as Nile Dok and his soldiers followed behind, not missing the scathing look that was sent to her before they disappeared into the halls.

"That man must have some serious issues back home." Iris snickered in sick fascination. The trio rolled their eyes at their companion.

"He's just a nasty, mean person. I hope we never see him again." Cylla huffed angrily, brushing the dirt off of her knees where she had kneeled.

"He is. And I don't care to understand why." Caryn placed her hand on the younger goddesses' head, ruffling her hair and smiling when she tried to fix it back into place. "We can't worry about him, though. You heard what Zackly said. We have to learn three years' worth of work in nearly two months, and if we don't do that, we won't have a choice. We'll have to plan for our escape back home."

"You'll all be fine, as long as you're under Levi." Erwin suddenly popped into the conversation, Levi by his side. He didn't look the least bit ruffled at the exchange he had just gone through. He smiled politely. "We shouldn't lollygag. It's better that we get you four back to headquarters before dark so that you can settle in and get a good rest. Your training will start tomorrow."

"At 8 a.m., so you better not be late or I'll have you running until the sun goes down." Levi threatened, half-glaring at them. Caryn nodded, not missing a beat when they exited the room all at once. She walked behind her new superiors in fear of disrespecting them. She still didn't fully understand human customs, but gladly she would learn.

"Actually, we do not require as much sleep as humans do." She piped, and her comrades nodded their consents. That earned her a curious look from the human duo. She laughed. "We can go weeks without sleeping. All it takes is a couple hours of rest to rejuvenate ourselves."

"Then use the couple hours that you'll have later to sleep. I don't care if you're not tired. I don't want to hear that excuse. My order stays the same, if you're late I will work you hard enough to exhaust you."

"Yes, sir." The goddesses spoke in unison. _Whatever you say, sir._ Cylla said sarcastically, earning a mental chuckle from them all. Levi rose an eyebrow, turning back to watch where he was headed next to Erwin.

"Damn brats are going to be like robots." He muttered, continuing along silently.

 **(x0x)**

The carriage ride to headquarters was silent.

Well, for the most part.

Caryn and her friends had the pleasure of being escorted to their ride by a familiar brunette, her chocolate brown orbs filled with excitement upon their arrival. Hanji wasted no time, firing up a conversation that made the goddesses question her sanity.

Since the carriage wasn't exactly big enough for everyone to fit inside, Sione and her two other teammates were situated in a different one behind hers. They received the longer end of the stick, much to Caryn's displeasure.

The woman could talk for _hours._

She didn't want to make a wrong impression, especially when Hanji would most likely be one of the people training them to fight and that was assuming they needed the extra exposure. So, like the noble she was expected to act like, Caryn sat straight in her seat next to Levi and replied with polite nods and simple answers to let her know she was listening.

 _How is everything going?_ Sione asked, and the blonde was grateful for the temporary distraction. Luckily Levi had voiced his disapproval of Hanji's constant rambling, making her turn her attention to him briefly.

 _Let's just say I'm not very pleased with the riding arrangements._ Caryn replied sullenly, earning a diluted chuckle from the second-in-command.

 _It shouldn't be much longer,_ she reassured half-heartedly. _Why don't you try and use your vision and scope out the area? It seems like our powers have returned in the last couple of hours._

 _Not a bad idea._

Closing her eyes, the goddess concentrated on the energy around her. The movement of the carriage and the hooves thumping on the ground from the horses. The breeze fluttering through the trees, the birds chirping in their nests contently. The distant cry of children playing in the early evening sun.

 _Rogue Sight,_ she muttered to activate her eyesight.

When she opened her eyes, everything had changed. Instead of seeing just the inside of the carriage, she could see everything within a span of a mile. It had almost been like looking through a kaleidoscope, without the confusing images one after the other. Heat signatures were differentiated, the human's signatures red and the plants signatures orange. Everything else had taken on a yellow or white contrast.

Caryn's irises had taken on a golden hue, pupils iridescent instead of black as she zoomed out several miles away. Beyond all the trees and brush was an enormous castle with soldiers out and about, training and horseback riding.

 _You're right, Sione. We've got about four miles to go._

It felt good to feel the energy humming through her body again. She was still wary of the cause of its dormancy during the battle, but she could do nothing for now except stash it away for later.

Suddenly, a flash of red invaded her line-of-sight, startling her and making her jump. "Amazing! Your eyes change color?! Fantastic, more information for your file!" Hanji screeched, grasping Caryn's shoulders and shaking her frantically.

Caryn's vision swam, so she quickly deactivated her sight and blinked rapidly. "H-Hanji—"

"Sit back down, shitty four-eyes." Levi growled, gripping her elbow and chucking the brunette back into her spot. He looked small, but his strength was anything but. "You're not doing anything to her. Don't make me have to tell you again."

"You're so harsh, shorty!" Hanji whined, pointing back at the goddesses face. "Would you let me at least take a sample of her blood? It could have healing properties or something of the sort—"

"No."

She huffed, crossing her arms and leaning back into the coach and muttering her complaints to herself. Caryn shook her head in amusement, glancing out the window. They would be there momentarily so she would just have to deal with Hanji's wild antics.

 **(x0x)**

When they arrived, the sun had begun to set on the horizon line. Just as Caryn had seen, the compound was bigger than she expected it to be. Of course it would have to be big enough to fit thousands of soldiers from the regiment.

Following their new superiors inside, however, proved to be quite difficult. Hundreds of eyes followed their every move, obnoxious whispers being throw around like confetti. Some were quite loud, purposely being that way so the goddesses could hear. Others were less bold, quiet and meek in fear of retribution.

"Ignore them," Levi said, not removing his eyes from the front of him. "They'll learn to accept you, whether they like it or not. They don't have a choice."

" _That_ is not what I'm worried about." Caryn replied, wanting to frown at the humans who sent them dirty looks. "Acceptance will not come easily; the dislike is easy to see and I believe, at least for the time being, that the feeling is mutual."

The others mumbled their agreement, continuing their conversation on the inside of the castle. It was old—not run down, by any means—but it appeared to be cleaner than the average headquarters. Caryn had pictured a dirty property just by looking at it, being almost amused at the fact that she had been completely wrong.

Erwin had said nothing, expecting everyone to follow obediently behind him. It wasn't until they had climbed a staircase to the second floor that he had spoken up. "Naturally, this floor is reserved for high ranking officers, meaning squad leaders and up. Shall you ever receive that ranking, you may just be lucky enough to claim a room for yourself."

After a quick glance at the hall with doors littered down the aisles, they continued up the next flight of stairs towards the third floor. This floor was larger, almost maze-like in appearance with long halls that seemed to never end. "This is the floor reserved for soldiers like yourselves, new or experienced, but not ranked nearly as high. It is assigned two to a room, and you will be checked on a weekly basis to see if everything is in order. Your laundry will be washed two times a week. Any more will be done on your own time."

Stopping in the middle of the hall, he pointed to a wooden door with a chipped base near the doorknob. "As of right now, there are three rooms available…but two of those rooms only need one individual, as they already inhabit one soldier. Meaning you will have to choose which two of you will stay together and which two will share with another soldier."

That was easy. Caryn would get along with anyone they would place her with, so long as she didn't die in her sleep from an unnecessary attack. The others, however were quite different. Sione was a social recluse; she hardly talked to anyone outside the circle of girls before them. Iris was a wild child, and would probably be seen as annoying to another individual different from herself. Cylla wasn't necessarily bad, she was just a little too obsessed with personal appearance, enough to drive someone mad.

 _I will make this work,_ Caryn told herself. _I know I can._

"I'll be okay staying with someone else." She offered, smiling easily. Sighs of relief escaped the goddesses at her claim. But that didn't mean it would become easier for them.

"Cylla, you will be staying with someone else as well. Iris and Sione will share a room."

Cylla sputtered in disbelief. " _W-What?!_ But—"

"Would you rather stay in a room with Sione?" her eyebrow rose suggestively, and both immediately paled.

" _Gods,_ no." Sione snapped, eyes alight with amber flames. "I would rather stay in a room full of disgusting women who had no hygiene than little miss pigtails."

"Oh _shut up_!" Cylla tugged at the ends of her hair, rounding on the silver-haired goddess in her fury. "I'd rather live in a _sewer_ than stay in the same room as a pessimistic, self-absorbed half-wit—"

"One more word, Cylla, and I will gut you like the pig you are."

The looks on the superior's faces were priceless. Levi had one eyebrow raised, a small scowl etching onto his features and Erwin just looked amused. Even so, no part of this petty argument was amusing. They were wasting time by continuing their pointless bickering, in front of the people who had saved them no less!

"Enough, both of you." Caryn barked, forcefully grabbing the backs of their necks and clunking their heads together with a painful, petrified noise. "You two are being utterly ridiculous. After so many times telling you not to fight about small ordeals, you continue to do it anyways." She glared as the both of them rubbed their heads in slight anguish, looking away from each other momentarily. "I've made a decision. If I even so much as _witness_ another argument, I will send both of you back to Elysium."

Mouths dropped open at this, both in shock and disbelief. "You can't just—"

"Yes, I can and I will. This is your last and _final_ warning."

And she meant it. Caryn's voice had no room for discussion whatsoever. It was one thing that they had once again bickered about trivial things, but in front of two men who literally held their fate in the palms of their hands was out of the question.

While they all stood awkwardly in the middle of the hall, Erwin cleared his throat, bring a hand up to his mouth to stifle his small cough. "If you're all quite done, I'd like to show you your new living space."

Caryn gave a final warning look to the two goddesses before smiling sheepishly at the commander. "I'm terribly sorry. We'd be delighted to see them."

"Very well."

Erwin nodded to Levi, allowing the ravenette to knock on the door to his right briskly. A few seconds later, the door opened to show a petite woman with golden-red hair and lovely butterscotch eyes. She seemed to be aware of the situation, giving a sweet smile while opening the door wider.

"Commander, Corporal. Everything is ready, just like you asked." She greeted, checking things off like a list. Her eyes traveled over to Caryn, blue-amethyst clashing with gold. She immediately brightened at the sight of her. "And you must be Caryn! I'm Petra, your new roommate." She stepped out of the room to offer a hand to the goddess, pleased when they had clasped hands and shook a few times.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we become fast friends."

"Likewise."

The tall blonde gave an easy smile at their quick attachment to each other. "I will leave you to settle in. Should you need anything, I'm sure Petra will be happy to help you." He crossed his arms behind his back. "Supper will begin in an hour down in the dining hall. I hope to see you dressed and there."

Waving a hand and motioning for the others to follow him, the group continued down the hall to the other end of the dorms.

 _Caryn…_ Iris whispered into her mind. The link was only between the two of them this time. _Are you sure about this?_

 _What do you mean?_ She replied, confused at the question.

 _I mean,_ she repeated exasperatedly, _are you sure about leaving Cylla with someone she doesn't know? I could always stay with her and Sione could stay with someone else._

 _I admire how much you care about the young one, Iris. But you know Sione can't stay with another person. She'd burn their persona to the ground the second she had the chance._ Caryn warned, sighing. _Besides. Should Cylla receive a bully for a roommate, she will learn how to stand up for herself more than she already can. She's smart. She'll figure it out somehow._

 _I hope you're right._ Came the quiet reply. Caryn smirked.

 _I am._

"Hellooooo~ Are you in there?"

Caryn's attention snapped back to Petra, who stood in the doorway of their room. She had a knowing sort of look on her face, her lips lifting into a little smirk while watching the blonde.

Caryn turned a little red; she had caught her passing thoughts with a teammate. She hoped that didn't make her look crazy, as the humans would put it. "I apologize. I didn't hear you."

"I said, "Would you like to come in and change?"" Petra repeated, waving a hand inside. "It would be good for you to get acquainted as soon as possible."

She nodded, following the orangette inside. "Yes, of course. That would be most helpful."

"Glad you agree." She teased. "Okay, first things first; one thing you will notice is that we don't have any showers. We have a bathroom with a small mirror and a sink to wash up, but the showers are across from the castle next to the stables. You have to make sure you clean before curfew or you'll miss your chance until the next night."

The room was small, but not so small to fit two twin beds and a drawer with an oil lamp between them. A cabinet was pressed against the opposite wall of the beds, presumably to share their clothes in. There was also a sink with a small mirror next to the cabinet, a mahogany-colored door beside that which led to the small toilet.

In all, it wasn't home, but it would do.

"That cabinet is where all of our clothes will be. I hope you don't mind sharing," Petra added slyly, walking over to it and opening it up. Inside were several pairs of jackets and white pants. Military-styled boots lay neatly against the sides, propped up for use. On the top shelf was a few towels for their showers. "I put some clothes on your bed. They may be a little loose because you haven't been fitted, but you and I seem to be nearly the same size so it will be okay for now."

"Thank you very much." Caryn returned nicely, walking over to her new bed and picking up the articles of clothing. The outfit consisted of a tan jacket like the ones the men wore, the wings insignia on the back. A black top to go under it was placed down next to it, followed by a pair of white pants and another pair of those knee-high boots.

Caryn deadpanned. This was really what they all wore? _How boring._

"Something wrong?" Petra rose an eyebrow, turning her back on the goddess to assort the clothes in the cabinet.

"This clothing is absolutely atrocious."

"Really? I think it's quite comfortable. Not a pretty dress or anything but it works when you're out in the field."

"It needs to be changed. More feminine for us ladies, at least." She frowned, taking off her clothes slowly and replacing them with the new soldier's garments. "Don't you get tired of wearing it all?"

"You get used to it." Petra sighed, shaking her head and turning back to look at her. It didn't bother either female that she was getting dressed right in front of her; they would need to get used to it while they lived with one another. "It doesn't really bother me, as long as it doesn't constrict around important parts." She chuckled.

"I suppose." Caryn shrugged on the jacket, reaching for the pants. "But one thing is for sure; if I am going to be helping humanity, the least I can get is some more comfortable clothing, even something to tell us apart from regular soldiers."

"That's a good idea! Maybe you should tell captain. I bet he'd listen to you."

"I could try." It was Caryn's turn to chuckle. She was shrugging on the boots when she asked her next question. "So…Petra?"

"What is it?"

"Have you always been alone in this room?"

"Goodness, no." Petra laughed, her voice breathy and light. "I had another roommate before you moved in here with me."

"Really? Where are they now?" the goddess asked curiously.

As soon as she had, Petra's face fell a little bit. Caryn immediately regretted asking, already figuring out the answer.

"She was…killed-in-action a little while ago." She replied, rubbing her arms as if she was cold. Her face was crestfallen at mentioning her deceased roommate. "Titan scooped her up right out of the air while she was using her gear. She didn't deserve it, she was a good person." She rethought. "Though, no one deserves to be eaten alive. It's reasons like this why I hate those ugly things."

Caryn nodded slowly, understanding her newfound friend's pain. "I'm glad I can be of help, then." She stood, taking in her new outfit with a grimace. It was loose and fit weird in some places, but it would do for now.

"Promise me something."

Petra came to stand in front of the blonde, placing her hands on the taller woman's shoulders. Caryn's eyes widened at the quick proximity. "Y-Yes?" she stuttered, uneasy by the look she was being given. Petra blinked, gripping her shoulders tightly while giving her a concerned look.

"Promise that you won't become a hero. You may be a goddess, but you aren't invincible. We're glad to have your aid, but it won't work out well if you put yourself at risk more than you need to."

Caryn's gaze softened.

She hadn't been expecting to promise something like that.

Reaching up, she gently grasped Petra's hands and placed them in front of her. "I promise." She swore. Petra smiled, relieving as she nodded.

"Great."

"I could ask the same for you, though." She let go of her hands, giving a mischievous grin. Both of them laughed warmly at this, each telling that they would get along beautifully and that a new friendship was born.

"You don't have to tell me twice."

 **(x0x)**

 **Oh my gosh you guys. It's been forever since I last updated.**

 **I'm not even going to lie. I've had some serious writer's block, but also school and work has caught up with me to the ends of the earth. I'm trying to make time to write for chapters; especially these ones. Don't worry, I'm not giving up on any stories any time soon.**

 **Thank you to all who favorited and followed! It means so much to me, and it keeps me going! AND PLEASE REVIEW! I love it all.**

 **See you again soon,**

 **~M**


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